Curse of a Pharaoh's Kiss
by RainbowFizzyPops
Summary: /Yuugi Mutou loves mysteries and puzzles, and he is about to solve the biggest one yet. Suddenly, he's pulled into a land - and life - that he supposedly once knew. He's in a race against the clock as tragety is about to strike the land of Egypt - again./ Puzzle/blindshipping. Collab with YamiYugiCandy.
1. The Tomb

My friend YamiYugiCandy has decided to quit writing. She said that writing has always been more of a hobby to her, and she's tired of it - which sucks because she's good. But, because so many people like this story, yet she doesn't want to write anymore, she has given it to me. The first nine chapters will be all her work (edited and changed a little by me), and then the rest of it will be my writing, except following her original idea/plot.

So I guess you could say this is a collab fic? I hope you all enjoy it.

* * *

The walls were dull and sandy. Un-even, and damp from the bit of humidity that was clinging to them. Hieroglyphics covered every inch, stating warnings and tips about the old tomb. The only light to be seen was from the flashlights of two men as they carefully made their way down the jagged, narrow hall. One of them shined the light on a certain spot of the wall, causing the thin layer of water to glisten in a most mysterious, yet beautiful, way. Almost like glitter. He looked at the ancient hieroglyphics carefully, deciphering.

"'Stop now while you can'," He read out loud for the other to hear. "'Or you will face danger beyond your imagination. If you plan on impure deeds, all that waits for you, thief, is a new home within the shadows. You will be judged; there is no escape. Turn back now or'…" He trailed off, looking surprised before standing up straight again. "That's all it says. The rest has been eroded away."

"Doesn't sound too friendly..." The taller man said, trying to hide his fear without much success. "You know, maybe we should jus' go? We made it this far already."

The other quickly swung his flashlight up into the man's face, making him squint from the sudden brightness.  
"But, _Jou_," He almost whined, "we've gotten past all the traps so far. We can do this."

"Yeah, but the warnings for the others didn't sound so…_serious_," Jou said nervously. He'd never been too comfortable with the occult. In fact, right now he was wondering why he even came on this adventure.

"_I'm_ not scared." The shorter man teased his friend bitterly.

"You know," Jou sighed, "there's a point where bravery becomes insanity."

"Ha, ha." The other rolled his amethyst eyes, a bit annoyed, but the excitement in them couldn't be put out. "If I did my studying right—and I _always_ do—this should be the last trap we have to get past. So relax."

Jou looked at his friend carefully.  
"What's so special about this, Yuugi?"

Yuugi's eyes practically gleamed. "It's a challenge." Determined, he turned back to the dark opening. "And I don't back down from challenges."

"Which brings us back to the bravery becoming insanity thing I mentioned earlier..." Jou muttered, shuddering. "Do you want me to beg? Fine. I'll beg. Can we _please_ go? Pleeease? I'll pay you to turn around now. This place gives me a major case of the heebie-jeebies." He looked around, his honey brown eyes looking almost black in the scarce, dim light.

"Jou," Yuugi looked up at his friend once more, "if you want to leave, then leave. I'm not forcing you to stay. But I'm not going to be the one to walk away."

Jou sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that… Ugh. _Fine_. But if I see any mummies, yer on your own, Mr. Yuugi Mutou!"

"Understood, Mr. Katsuya Jonouchi."

They both turned walked forward through the opening, finding themselves in a big room. Yuugi looked around and, seeing no danger, grinned and gestured for Jou to go first. Jou shook his head very quickly and made the universal sign for "after you!" Yuugi's grin turned into a wicked smirk at his friend's fear and he moved forward, pointing the light at the ground. It would really suck if he was walking, and then there was suddenly no floor. That had happened not too long ago in the third room—

"Yuugi! Watch out!" Jou yelled, and he grabbed his friend roughly by the back of his shirt and yanked him to a stop. Yuugi looked up and saw a wall of metal spikes just inches away from his face. He swallowed hardly and turned to Jou.

"I...t-thank you."

"No prob," Jou replied, letting his friend go. He examined the spikes, grimacing as he touched the point of one. Blood sprouted from a small prick in his finger. "Wow. Still sharp." He commented. "I thought they didn't have metal in Egypt three-thousand years ago...?"

"They did," Yugi corrected him. "But it was only small amounts for thin armor and spears - and gold for the wealthy. It was hard for Egypt to get supplies unless they made it or found it themselves because Egypt was blocked from everyone else by four natural barriers. In the north, there was the Mediterranean Sea, then cataracts in the south, the Libyan dessert in the west, and in the east, there was the Red Sea." Yugi paused, thinking. "But, even so...they didn't have the technology to be able to mount spikes onto the wall like this. Also," Yugi added, "judging by how sharp and smooth they still are, I'd say they weren't put here thousands of years ago. There's not one bit of rust on them."

"Meaning…?" Jou asked.

"Meaning that they're pretty new. Maybe only a few decades old." Yuugi looked up at him. "Jou, this room is rigged with traps from three-thousand years ago _and_ newer ones."

Jou eyed the spikes. "M-maybe we should just go then…"

"No."

"No?" Jou's voice became very high pitched. He cleared his throat, trying to pass it off as a cough. "I mean, no?"

"Yes."

"Yes!"

"Wai—no!"

"But you said yes!"

"I meant yes to your no!"

"Yeah, so we're going?" Jou smiled.

Yuugi rubbed his temples and breathed in a deep, even breath.  
"No. I mean no, I'm _not_ leaving. Stop trying to trip me up in your word play."

"Why is this so important? And don't give me that bullshit about it being a challenge."

"Jou, think about it! All these traps are here for a _reason_. Old and new traps? Who would spend their time addingnew traps to an old tomb? There _must_ be something very important here. I want to know what it is."

"I thought you weren't interested in treasure?" Jou frowned.

"I'm not," Yuugi assured him quickly. That had to be the very last thing on his mind. "It's a mystery…I have to solve it. This is...the puzzle of the century. My curiosity is about to burn me alive! I may not get a chance like this again. You know I love puzzles and riddles."

"Yeah, maybe a little _too_ much." Jou did a light facepalm. "Okay. Let's go. The sooner we get to the end, the sooner we can leave, right? Just make sure you watch _everything_, Yuugi. Not just the ground."

Yuugi nodded and started walking forward again, keeping his eyes wide open. Before they knew it, they were halfway across the room. Halfway to the giant, gold encrusted doors on the other end. Yuugi frowned, his eyes sweeping the room carefully. "Where are all the traps?" He asked no one in particular. Really, where was the challenge in this? The ancient writing had indicated more danger. So walking in this far without encountering any traps at all was… highly suspicious.

"Hey…those statues are creeping me out." Jou said suddenly, his voice wavering. "They're all just… standing there. I feel like they're watching us." Yugi sighed and hung his head, wondering again why he had asked Jou to come along when it was so obvious the man was terrified by these things. Then, he snapped his head back up and spun around to stare at Jou.

_"What statues?" _He demanded.

"Those ones!" Jou pointed to the wall. Yuugi turned and looked at the statues—all of them were the body of a man, but with the head of a great falcon. Their right foot forward; a symbol of their devotion to the king of Egypt - The Pharaoh, who was a living God among men.

"Jou…" Yuugi said slowly. "Don't freak out, but... those weren't there a moment ago."

Jou let out a shivering whine and his face turned white.

* * *

_Please review._


	2. A Golden Box

"Run, Jou! _Run!_" I yelled, immediately launching myself towards the giant doors. Like I was expecting, the statues suddenly sprang to life, and Jou let out one of the girliest screams I have ever heard come from a man's mouth as he high-tailed after me. If you were to ask me, I would say that "Oh god oh god oh god" was pretty much all that was going through my mind at that moment. For once, I was beyond scared. So scared that I even considered running out of the tomb completely and just forgetting about the riddle.

A statue was suddenly beside me, and I ducked my head low as it swung its massive stone fist at me. I could feel the air _whoosh_ against my hair, and I almost screamed. These things meant some serious business, and I wasn't interested in seeing my blood outside my body. I hadn't come all this way to die.

"_Yuuuugi!"_ Jou screamed, grabbing the back of my shirt and carrying me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he ran ahead, putting his longer legs to good use. I blinked, surprised at how fast Jou could run when he was truly terrified. I wouldn't even have been surprised if I had seen liquid seeping through his pants, but now wasn't the time to bother looking.

"Jou, put me down!" I said, hating to be manhandled. I let out a small _"eep!" _when another statue raised a sword at us. That was when it happened. When I heard the voice for the first time, I thought it was merely my own mind yelling to me - instructing me how to survive. Some kind of instinct that kicks in when you're in danger - the fight or flight reflex.

'…_Run…the doors…'_

"Jou!" I yelled. "Stop running around so aimlessly! Go to the doors!"

Jou jumped out of the way of yet another statue, and he hurled me at the doors like a baseball. I let out a yell as I saw the ground come up at me. Putting my flexibility to the test, I twisted my body in the air, managing to land on my feet. But I was too wobbly and I pitched forward, smacking my chin against the ground and biting the inside of my cheek. Too scared and focused on the objective at hand to notice the pain, I spat out blood and got back to my feet, running to the doors. I pushed against one of them for all I was worth.

Once the door was open, I watched as Jou ran with all of his might and leapt into the room. I quickly started pushing the door again, and Jou swiftly helped me snap it shut completely. He leaned his back against it like a blockade, and all was still and silent for a long moment. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Jou's knees suddenly went slack, and he slid down the door, collapsing in a heap on the ground.

"G-god..." He managed, shaking like a leaf in the wind. I slowly backed away from the door, letting my arms fall, and forced out the air I had been holding in my lungs. "They were...goin' to kill us..." Jou started laughing a very breathless, nervous laugh as I looked around the room. "What if they're waiting for us out there? What are we goin' to do? How are we goin'to leave?" He waited. "Y…Yuugi?"

I didn't answer—I hadn't really heard Jou say my name, honestly. I was too busy staring at a small, gold box in the middle of the wide room. Light was streaming in from a crack in the high ceiling, making the box look like is was almost glowing. Not only that, but the glow seemed to grow and shrink - pulsate, like a small heartbeat. It somehow looked..._alive?_ I took a small step closer, the eye of Horus_*****_ that was carved in it's front seemed to beckon to me.

"What do you think…" I started to say to Jou, only to stop when another, unknown voice rang in my ears.

'_Help me…'_

This time I knew it hadn't come from my own mind. I spun around, expecting to see someone else besides Jou and myself in the room. But it was just us…and the box. I looked back to it, stunned beyond anything. There was no possible way, of course...but there was no other answer. The one talking...was actually the box?

"What is it, Yuugi?" Jou asked, finally standing up.

"Jou," I said quietly, looking around the room again again. Jou waited expectantly. "Didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"A voice."

"A voice?"

"Yes." I nodded quickly, glad that he was grabbing the concept. "A faint voice...coming from...there..." I finally looked at him. "You didn't hear it, did you?" I asked. I got my answer as I looked at Jou's expression. It was baffled, and then it grew into an uneasy look, finally settling on a concerned frown.

"Yuugi…I think you're just letting your previous terror talk. I mean, we were just attacked - almost killed! By Statues! I'm surprised I'm not hearing things, too." He shook his head. "But we need to get out of here...why don't we just think of a way to do it without dying?" A sudden rush of sadness filled my body from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, and, before I knew it, tears were running out of my eyes. I took in a deep, shuddering breath, but the sadness only intensified. It was like something was sitting heavily against my heart. The voice spoke again, agonized.

'_Don't leave me here.'_

Jou put his hand on my shoulder. "Look, Yuugi. I'm really sorry." He shook his head. "I know you wanted to solve this mystery and all, but I think that it's finally getting to you. I mean...please don't cry, man."

"It's not me," I said quickly, wiping my face. "I wouldn't cry over something so lame. I don't know, but the voice…I mean, the box doesn't want us to leave it." I sighed at his expression. "Don't give me that look either, Jou. I'm not crazy." I hesitated before adding, "I think."

"Oh, that's real assuring." Jou said. "I believe you 100 percent." I shot him a sharp look and then, feeling rather silly, I gave a small smile to the box.

"Um…It's okay." I said awkwardly, approaching the altar it sat upon. "We're not going anywhere." I reached out, as if to hug it or something, and I picked it up. As soon as my fingertips touched the surface, I blinked, surprised. It was warm – like human skin. And it was also fairly heavy, too. What in the world could be inside it? I felt a quick surge go into my hands from it, like I was being electrocuted. My mind's first impulse was to drop it, but I only tightened my grip and held it up, examining it. The voice had been like an angel's sigh in my ears.

"What are you doing?" Jou asked incredulously. "Are you sure you should be touching that?"

I turned back to him with a determined look.  
"This is coming back with us."

Jou blinked.

"Jou?" I raised my eyebrow. Jou suddenly started laughing, and I jumped in surprise. Had he finally snapped?_ No... He thinks I'm kidding…_I realized. "Jou, I'm not joking." That stopped him cold.

"Are... you... _serious_?" He demanded, bristling up at my decision like some kind of cat. "We can't just take some ancient Egyptian artifact out of a tomb!" He flailed his arms around. "What are you thinking—!"

"I…" I frowned and looked down at the golden box in my hands. "I know I sound really crazy and stupid, but I…I feel like it _wants_ me to. It wants out. It craves freedom. I don't know how to explain it, really, but…"

Jou made some guttural noises that sounded like a mix of protest and appalled outrage. But then, for the first time in his twenty-five years of life, the blonde went deathly silent, and I could see his thought process working quickly—absorbing the situation, and running through the possibilities. Well, no matter what he did, he couldn't stop me. I was going to—

'_Your friend is probably close to throwing me over the side of a cliff.'_

I glared at Jou, holding the box closer to my chest and feeling an odd surge of protectiveness go through me.  
"Don't you dare take this from me, Jou!" I warned, also getting the feeling that Jou was planning on taking it away when I wasn't looking.

Jou opened his mouth, closed it, and thought hard again. Finally he gave a strangled cry, and jammed his hands into his pockets.  
"Okay, okay! Fine! If you _really_ think that it's talking to you—"

"I don't think," I interrupted, "I _know_. I can hear it."

Jou only shrugged. "It's up to you. I can't do anything to stop you—you're too stubborn." He sighed. "I just really, really, _really _hope you're thinking about all the pros and cons to this. I want you to be totally sure that you're willing to take it. I mean... you'll be breaking the _law_, you know."

That made me pause. Jou was right. I was at a crossroads. Doing what I wanted and doing what was right were two very different things. If I ever got caught taking this, I would be out of work. If it ever got found out, I could lose every ounce of credibility and respect I have - not to mention a prison sentence. Was I really to risk it all – basically my whole life – on the possibility that some box was talking to me?

'_Please. I don't want to be alone anymore.'_

Alone... I pressed my lips together tightly. I knew what that felt like. Decision made, I looked back to Jou with a steady stare.  
"I am willing. I know the consequences. I'm prepared."

Jou hesitated for another moment, and then he shrugged.  
"Well, then." He looked to the door. "I hope your box friend knows how we can get out of here without being killed, then."

'_They won't bother you.'_

"They won't bother us." I repeated for Jou.

"Did it tell you that?"

"He," I corrected the same time the voice gave a slight protest.

Jou blinked and looked back at me.  
"What?" he asked.

"He. It's a he—I mean _he_ is a he. Not an 'it'."

"Okay, then…" Doubt was filling Jou's eyes. "Did _he_ tell you that?"

"Yes, _he_ did." I said, walking over to the doors. I reached out to push it open, but I stopped myself short. What if Jou was right? What if I was just going crazy? Boxes couldn't talk—what was I doing? As soon as I walk out that door, I'd most likely be slaughtered. I bit my lip hard, but I couldn't feel the pain of it in comparision to my throbbing chin and cheek. What should I do? Forget about the box, or take a step out in faith? I thought I was prepared but…how could you ever really prepare for this? I hadn't planned on any of this when I started this quest. I was expecting tresure or a body...not a talking box.

'_I promise, they will not hurt you. I won't let them.'_

At the soothing voice, I felt more at ease. I pushed the door open slowly, and was greeted by silence. I looked around and saw that the statues were lined against the walls again—only now they weren't as fierce. They were all bent over, kneeling towards the center of the room – as if their king were there. I started walking out into the room slowly, and the statues didn't move. Jou let out a little squeak, and he ran to catch up with me. As we moved, I felt more and more calm – more sure that we were safe. I was able to keep my head up and walk straight. I kept my eyes on the opening ahead of me, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jou looking around frantically, just waiting for a statue to come and attack. I heard a ringing sigh in my ears.

'_He's not very trustful is he?'_

I frowned. _He has good reason not to be, though. _I thought._ His mother left when he was born, and his father is nothing but a ruthless drunk. He used to bully smaller people in high school, but we became friends, and we've been that way ever since. I'm all he has. He's been betrayed and used too much to really trust many._

I don't know if it had heard my thoughts or not, but there was no reply.

* * *

"See, Jou?" I grinned as I walked out into the sunshine from the underground tunnel. The sudden onslaught of light hurt my eyes. "You were all worried and jumpy for nothing. We made it out safely." An immediate look of relief filled Jou's face, and he flopped down on the sand.

"I will never complain about this bright sand or hot sun ever again!" He cried.

'_It's beautiful.'_

I could hear the awe and happiness in the voice, and I couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, it really is."

'_I've spent a long time in the dark…I had forgotten how bright it is.'_

"We can fix that," I said. "I think you'll be spending a lot more time out of the darkness now."

Jou looked at me, confused, and I gestured to the box.  
"I'm never going to get used to you talking to that…" Jou sighed.

"One day…" I said slowly, "Maybe one day you'll hear—" I suddenly stopped talking when I saw the cloud of dust on the horizon. "Oh... _shit_."

"What?" Jou asked, standing back up and following my gaze. "What is it?"

"Pegasus is here." I quickly ran over to our horses - which we'd tied up outside the entrance - and I opened up my bag. Without pausing to think, I shoved the golden box into it, hiding it under all my stuff and ignoring the voice's questions. I quickly closed the bag and ran back to Jou, successfully looking like I hadn't moved at all. Now that the box was away from me, I could only faintly hear it speaking.

"Incoming," Jou muttered out of the corner of his mouth. I watched with a grim look as Pegasus slowed his horse. His long white hair was wind-blown from his ride, and he watched me with slightly narrowed, brown eyes. I stared back as two others from his team came to a stop as well.

"Ah! Mr. Mutou!" Pegasus dismounted his muscular horse and opened his arms wide in a greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Pegasus," I reached out and we shook hands briefly.

"What a relief that you have made it out alive and in one peace!" Pegasus smiled. "Well, almost in one piece." He eyed my bruised chin, the blood trailing out the corner of my mouth, my ruffled, messed clothes. But, even though he sounded so pleased, I could see the envy flicker in his face. I'm sure he wanted to go all the way down there himself and get all the glory – but sadly, Pegasus was somewhat of a coward. "I'm surprised, though! I could only get to the third room before I finally had to turn back. Tell me, how far did you get?"

"The end." I answered immediately. Pegasus coughed lightly into his hand.

"My dear boy... did you say all the way to the end?"

"That I did, Pegasus. We got all the way to the end," I pulled out the small notebook from my pocket and handed it to him. "I wrote down notes, because I know you'd be dying to hear about it. There are six rooms in total, and each one is specifically designed with a game or riddle that you must solve to move on. They all deal with different things. The first and second I'm sure you remember, but the third deals with wit, and the fourth is speed, and—"

"Mr. Mutou," Pegasus intercepted, waving his hand. "We have all the time in the world to discuss this matter, I'm sure. But tell me what we're all just dying to hear. What, exactly, is being protected in that tomb?" I immediately thought about the box, but my face remained smooth.

"Nothing," I reported. "The room where the body and treasures should have been was empty."

"Empty?"

"Completely empty." I repeated, nodding. Pegasus turned around and flipped through my notebook.

"Are you sure?" Pegasus asked, looking back at me. "I mean, an elaborate tomb with such traps must've had something important to protect…"

"Quite sure," I replied.

"That's…interesting." He muttered, but he still seemed dubious. "This must be…devastating, I'm sure." He gave me a fake sad smile. "You have been dreaming about this adventure for quite some time, haven't you?"

"Yes, I _had_." I looked away from his piercing stare. "Needless to say, I am very put down."

"Are you?"

"Yes," I looked back up at him, making myself look crestfallen.

"You should've seen him," Jou piped up—and I inwardly flinched. Lord knows I love Jou, and I knew he was only trying to help, but he needed to learn when to stay silent. "Looked like he was about to cry or—_ow!"_

I lifted my foot off of his and blinked sweetly. "Oh! Was that your foot? I'm sorry, Jou! The sun's hot and must be getting to me a little." I smiled at him. "But I'm sure Mr. Pegasus doesn't care about—"

"So," Pegasus interrupted me again. "You lost? You admit that you couldn't solve this mystery?" I heard the joy in his voice and I looked up at him to see the hope in his face. I sighed. All Pegasus wanted was to show me up. Never had he beat me before, and I'm sure he was thinking now was his chance. I hummed, walking over to my horse, readying to climb on. Jou followed suit, climbing onto his own brown horse.

"Well?" Pegasus insisted, lifting one of his perfectly plucked eyebrows, waiting.

"My dear Pegasus," I answered, grabbing my reins. "There wasn't even a mystery to solve."

I sounded sincere, but in all actuality…I was lying through my teeth.

* * *

_*It was once called the eye of Wedjat, but it is now called the eye of Horus_


	3. At Home

"Man, did you see his face?"

"Yes, Jou. I saw it."

"He thought he was gonna be all bad ass, but he didn't know how bad ass-_er_ you can be."

"'Bad ass-er'?" I questioned his choice of grammar with a rue smile. "But, yes, I know. I was there."

"_Puh_-lease!" Jou went on. He was _still_ talking about our run in with Pegasus two hours after the fact. And, as we were currently on a plane flying home, there was no way I could even escape it. I placed my finger to my own lips to signal him to calm down, but, of course, Jou went on—_and on and on._ "He wanted you to admit that you had lost a challenge! He was all, 'You admit that you couldn't solve this mystery?' and you were all, 'There wasn't a mystery to solve'. Hah! Sucker punch."

"I know, Jou," I leaned my head against the plane window and watched the clouds around us, finally giving up on making Jou quiet down. "I'm the one who said it."

"Yeah, you did!" Jou gave me a punch on my shoulder that actually hurt a little. I took a deep breath in through my nose, and let it escape from my mouth. "That Pegasus…sneaky bastard. Thought he would try and take your glory. He's a snake. After all, we're the ones went through the trouble to get through those traps and shit. Not to mention taking that talking box of yours—"

I quickly shoved my hand over his mouth, pinning him with a glare.  
"Hey, loud mouth!" I muttered. "Maybe you shouldn't be talking so loud about how we _stole_ an artifact from an Egyptian tomb?"

Jou pulled my hand away from his mouth and gave me a grave look.  
"Yeah...you're right. Sorry about that." He said, his voice finally lowering. "I just got so riled up over Pegasus."

I leaned back in my seat, covering my face with my hands.  
"No, I'm sorry." I sighed. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just…jumpy, I guess."

"Is it still talking to you?"

_'I'm a he! He, he, he! Why is it so hard for him to grasp?'_

I winced at the volume of the voice in my head.  
"He." I reminded quietly. "Please, Jou. _He_."

"Oh, right. He." Jou nodded. I glanced at the compartment over my head, knowing that, within it, sat my carry-on - which contained the box. I rubbed my temples, feeling it at the back of my scalp…a headache waiting to pounce. I should have brought some pain medication with me or something. And it didn't help that I absolutely hated flying.

"Well?" Jou asked.

"Well what?"

"Is _he_ still talking to you?"

"Yes, Jou. He is still talking. It's not like he's just going to suddenly disappear. I'm stuck with him now, aren't I since I—" My beginnings of a rant was cut off as a _bing_ rang throughout the plane's speakers.

"We are now beginning our decent into the airport of Domino, Japan." A female said, all business, over the intercom. "Please keep your seat belts buckled. Make sure all loose items are properly stored away and your tables are put into their upright positions. We'd like to thank you for…"

I tuned the voice out as I buckled up my seatbelt. I couldn't wait to get off this plane and go home—not only because planes made me feel nauseous and jittery, but also because, at home, I could get a little peace and quiet and study the mysterious box; figure out why only I could hear it. Not to mention I could get some sleep since Jou didn't let me doze on the ride home. It's not that I hated being around Jou – I love him, really. He just has a tendency to…never shut up.

"Man…I still can't believe they didn't suspect anything when we went through security." Jou muttered as he checked his own seatbelt. "Yuugi, you have to be the luckiest person I know—besides myself, of course." He gave me a wide grin. "Maybe they weren't interested in some guys little personal box?"

"The box - he - seems to have an ability to control things - like those statues. Maybe it did something to the security monitors and—"

"Stop looking for logic in everything." Jou interjected. "I bet you that it was just plain, old dumb luck."

"You know I don't believe in luck."

"Yeah, but I do."

"Fair enough," I mumbled. I leaned my head against the window and watched the ground as it slowly loomed closer.

* * *

"I'm home," I called out as I swung my front door open. The usual silence I've known for so long greeted me back. "Not that anyone is ever here to greet me…" I finished, pulling my luggage through the door. I tossed my backpack on the couch haphazardly and hung my keys on the hanger.

_'You live alone?'_

"Yup." I answered shortly, fishing the golden box out of the bottom of my carry-on.

_'Why?'_

"Well…who am I supposed to live with?" I asked, placing the box on the coffee table. I stood there for a second, uncertain, then sat on the edge of the couch and stared at it. I didn't even know where to look…so I stared at the Eye of Horus.

_'Someone in your family?'_

I pressed my lips together and picked at a loose thread at the hem of my shirt. "My family's all gone." I informed him quietly. "Grandpa died three years ago, and my mother and father died when I was a young child. I'm not close to anyone else - besides Jou. But it's fine. I'm twenty-four, so I should be living by myself, anyway."

_'Oh_…_I'm sorry.'_

I blinked, honestly surprised. "Why on earth are you sorry? It's not your fault."

_'I shouldn't have asked.'_

"Perhaps…" I leaned back against the back of the couch, placing my arms behind my head. "But it's no big deal, really. I've always been more independent. I just hate it when people try to protect me…I may be short and a slight pushover at times, but I'm not weak." I looked back at box. It still had that glow about it, and the urge to touch it went through me. I shook my head to stop that thought. Maybe I really was loosing it. "Besides, I don't even remember what my mom and dad look like." I added. "They died when I was three, so I don't really feel their absence. It's better that I don't remember them, anyway. That way I can't miss them. My grandfather, however, is a...very different story." I swallowed against the sudden clog in my throat. It was quiet for long a moment.

"But enough about my sad history," I finally said, waving a limp hand. "What about you?"

_'I don't know.'_

"Aw, come on," I sat up and looked at the box with a pout. "I told you things about—"

_'It's not that I don't want to tell you, I just…cannot. If I could, I would. After all, I owe you so much for—'_

I waved my hand again to push his gratitude away.  
"You can't?" I asked. "Why not?"

_'I don't remember anything about my life. I don't even know how I got like…this.'_

"You mean turned into a box?"

'…_You think I am the box?'_

The voice sounded incredulous, and I shifted my feet.  
"Um...You're not the box?" I asked.

'_More like I'm trapped _in _the box.'_

"Oh…wow…" I fell silent, and an awkward silence hung over the room. "Okay, yeah. Heh, I guess that makes more sense than you actually being…the box." I blushed a little bit, realizing how silly I was to think that. So much for me being intelligent. "Well…" I tried to think of something to say, but I was literally at a loss for words. What do you say to a person—well, a box, or thing in a box (you know what I mean)—who couldn't remember anything about their past? I folded my hands and tilted my head. "Maybe I can help?" I finally was able to say.

_'Help? How do you plan to do that? Don't you think I would have already escaped here if I could?'_

I could hear the bitterness and longing in the voice, and I felt a little unsteady.  
"Well…" I unfolded my hands, then refolded them, nervous. "Let's start with what you _do_ know."

_'Well…I know that I was the Pharaoh once…at least, I am very sure I was.'_

"So…You were a person." I leaned back on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief. This kind of lessened the chance that I was going crazy. Just only, though. Maybe by 5 percent, but something was better than nothing. "No, not a normal person; a Pharaoh." I felt his confirmation. "What do you mean by 'here'?" I asked, leaning forward again.

_'Here is…here.'_

I could tell he was struggling to find the right words, so I stayed quiet and let him think.

_'I can't explain it…It's like I am dead - maybe I am _supposed_ to be dead? - but I yet still exist. Everything around me is black. I can't feel, I can't taste, can't smell anything…and for the longest time, I couldn't hear either. I was totally devoid of my senses. But then, I heard you. Faintly, then growing stronger. Then, after you picked up the box, my sight came back. Everything was so bright. Like now, I can see you sitting there. And all the dark around me…it hasn't been as dark lately, but it's still there.'_

"I see…" I said, but in truth, I really couldn't. I hardly understood what he meant. "Do you at least know your name?" I wondered. The long silence was my answer. "Oh, man…" I tapped the upholstery on the couch. "Well, we can't have that."

_'What do you plan on doing about it, oh, brilliant one?'_

I overlooked his acid sarcasm, giving him the benefit of the doubt. If I'd been trapped inside…where ever he was trapped, I would have been irritable as well.  
"Hold on...I'll give you a name." I replied, thinking. "How about…Yami?"

_'Yami? Are you making fun of me?'_

"No, no! Of course not." I quickly slid to the ground so I was sitting on my knees; eye level with the box. "I know it means 'darkness', but I'm not referring to the darkness that you've been stuck in. I'm not trying to tease you, I swear." I sighed, trying to figure out how to explain. "I just…I don't think the dark is all that bad."

_'How so?'_

"Well…without the dark, you wouldn't be able to see the stars. And without dark, light wouldn't have anything to shine on…right? And naming you after it is a way to start you off anew. Fill up your blank slate. You know?" I bit my lip and waited for him to yell at me. For him to shoot down the name once again and demand that I choose something more royal and elegant to fit his title. I put my head on the table and waited - but it never came.

I could feel myself zoning out. Everything was finally catching up to me – the trip, the plane ride, the current events - and I was so worn out. Once I finally sat down and relaxed, my body was just starting to shut down on me. I wanted to sleep, but I was going to wait for him to say something first. I wanted to make sure he was okay. Not to mention, I didn't want him to be angry with me. I wanted us to understand each other.

_'Hey…Yuugi?'_

For some reason, I could only take a deep breath though I knew I should answer him. I couldn't open my eyes—when did I close them? It didn't matter anymore. I was too tired to find out. I finally managed to hum in reply.

_'You're asleep.'_

"No, I'm not..." I breathed, forcing my eyes open again. I wanted to stay awake and talk to the spirit - I concluded that he was a spirit. What else could he be? He had to be a soul trapped in that box. I didn't know why or when, exactly - or even how - but it made more sense than any other idea. There were some things in this world that logic just can't explain…and as much as I didn't like it, I guess this was one of those things. It was better than calling him a box or a voice, anyway.

_'You will be.'_

Amusement was dripping from his voice, and it made me smile. So he was a joker, huh?  
"Well...sorry." I replied, lifting my head enough to look at the box, weary. "I'm tired. But I can stay up if you want—"

_'No. I may not have a body - I may not even be human anymore - but I know that you need sleep. We can talk later; I'm not going anywhere."_

I heard the faint annoyance at that fact in his voice, and I chuckled. Then sleep overcame me.  
That was when the nightmares began.

* * *

_Please review_


	4. Nightmare

The birds outside were chirping loudly. I groaned - they were so stupid with their loud, annoying songs. '_This another reason why I hate birds._' I thought angrily as their screeches pierced right through my peaceful, if not slightly painful, sleep. How anyone found the sound of birds in the morning (or at anytime of day) wonderful and refreshing was beyond me.

I slowly opened my eyes to see that the living room wasbright from the sunlight that was streaming in through the sliding glass door that lead out to my back porch. I guess I had forgotten to pull the blinds over it. I sat up, yawning, and ignored how my back protested against the movements with pops. It seemed I had fallen asleep on the floor with my head on the coffee table…no wonder my body hurt. I rubbed my cheek, wincing as I touched the tender part where I had bitten it, and I could feel where the table had left dents in my skin. Very lovely. I was sure I looked like some kind of hot mess right then.

Groaning, I stood up carefully and stretched, listening as some more of my joints popped. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall and saw that it was two in the afternoon. I had slept for a long time. Almost twelve hours. Sighing, I ran a hand through my wild hair and stumbled to the bathroom, closing the door behind me before looking into the mirror.

_"Eeeyaaah!"_

My scream pierced through the quiet house, and my hands flew up to the mirror's face—I was unable to say _my_ face, because it wasn't. I mean, it _was_ me, but it _wasn't_ me. I stared in disbelief and horror. The hair was similar—golden bangs, ebony spikes with that red trim - except, unlike mine, the man in the mirror had three extra bangs. Also, he had sharper features, his jaw line and cheekbones more angular. His skin was smooth and a dark mocha color – the skin of someone who spent much time in the sun. The skin of someone who clearly was not of Japanese descent. He was exotic. His eyes were closed, and I idly wondered if they, at least, would be like mine. But a face like his…amethyst wouldn't suit it. Something more regal…something powerful.

I ran my shaking fingers down the reflection's cheek, unable to say anything more than a few quiet stutters. This couldn't be happening. How could my appearance change like that in just one night? The only answer was that it wasn't me. In the background, there were other noises besides the birds now. Loud yelling echoed in my ears, the sound of swords clashing against on another, a dark, sinister laugh that made my blood run cold…it all got clearer. I covered my ears to block out the horrifying sounds, but that just made it even louder, and I closed my eyes against it.

That was a stupid thing to do. Now I could see it as well.

An all-out war. Thousands of warriors were fighting each other, each one of them as dark as the reflected man had been. There was sand stretching as far as the eye could see - even beyond that, I was sure - and helpless villagers ran away from the madness as blood decorated the night. A child by a tavern was curled into a ball, crying gut-wrenching, helpless sobs. I watched, helpless, as a warrior stabbed another. He coughed up blood, and fell to the ground by the child, who let out a scream and scrambled away from him.

I started to shake. There was so much red dying the sand and stone beneath my feet. I couldn't handle this—I couldn't see all this blood. Blood was the one thing that terrified me to no end. Both my family and doctors didn't know why, either. Just "something that happens sometimes" they said. And, right now, blood was everywhere. No matter where I turned I couldn't escape it. I was trembling so hard that the world seemed to shake. I looked down at my hands—they were covered in blood. When had I...? How did the blood get on me? I let out a small shriek and shook them frantically, trying to get it off. But the red stains stuck to me like glue.

I tried to run away, but I stumbled over my own feet. I fell against the ground, hard, hitting my already bruises and sore chin, and suddenly I emptied the contents of my stomach. The smell of blood was all around me. Like salt and rust. Metallicy. A dirty, rotten stench. I vomited again, tears coming down my cheeks.

Through the angry, scattered noises of battle, I heard something else. A lost, frightened voice that made my heart clench painfully with every beat it took. It was like I was the one who was lost and crying out. Lost in the darkness of being alone and confused and hurt. The sound screamed out over and over, piercing through my ears. I tried to understand it - maybe if I could understand I could help. I could get it to stop. But the sound of the war was too much; I couldn't make out what it was trying to tell me. Then there was another voice, different from the first - deeper, more powerful. It was so familiar, yet so unknown. It was full of horrifying agony, extreme loss, and it kept yelling one word.

_"HEBA!"_

I yelled out and shot up, wrenching my eyes open. There was a strange gasping noise, and I knew it was me. I tried to righten my world, but I was shaking and felt so anemic. I quickly looked around my living room. Where were the warriors? And all that blood? What happened to that child? The screaming voice? I fell so oddly off balance, and then I suddenly realized.

It had only been a dream—no, a _nightmare_. Worse than a nightmare, if that was possible. I put my hand on the hollow of my throat and tried to calm myself down. My heart was running rapid in my chest, and I concentrated on slowing my breaths. My eyes started to feel dry, but I was too terrified to shut them again. I was sure that if I shut them, I would be sucked back into that awful war—

_'What in the world was that?'_

Yami sounded concerned, and I looked at the golden box in front of me. "I just…" A sudden flash of a bloody face and a scream made me cringe. I shook my head to clear it and tried again. "It-it was just…a nightmare. I'm fine."

_'But you were screaming. You sounded like you were being tortured. You don't look fine.'_

I got to my feet, wobbly, and staggered into the kitchen, grabbing a cup to fill up with water out of the tap. I took a gulp and swished it around in my mouth, trying to dispel the dream from my mind. I could feel the sweat driping down my face. The glass was shaking in my hand. Get a grip, Yuugi. God. It was only a nightmare.

_'Yuugi.'_

He wasn't going to let this go. I took in a deep, tremored breath and rubbed my temple. "Do you know anybody named Heba?" I asked. Searching for something to take my mind off the nightmare—away from all the blood. But that was a wrong choice to make. As soon as I thought the word and remembered what I'd just seen, I leaned over the sink and puked.

_'Yuugi! Are you okay?'_

I shook my head and ran the water to wash out the sink. "It's just...there was so much blood...and..." I shuddered. "I'm Hemophobic. I'm terrified of blood. But it's okay now." And slowly, it was. The noises were gone, fading away from my mind, and I was able to breathe normally again. "So, do you know anybody by that name or not?" I washed my mouth out with more water.

_'…'_

"You do, don't you?" I walked around the counter and eyed the golden box.

_'I think I might. I'm not sure. It sounds…very familiar. It makes me feel...'_

He didn't have to say it. The heavy feeling in my chest gave me a clear idea on how he felt.  
"Oh," I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I didn't mean to make him sad. "I shouldn't have asked—"

_'Why did you?'_

"Heba…" I mused as I walked over into the living room and sat on the couch. "In my nightmare, there was this voice screaming it."

_'Heba? …I can't remember. I mean, I want to, but I just can't. There's this void in my mind. I try to look into it and there's…nothing. Like it was taken from me.'_

"Forget it, then. I don;t want to talk about it anymore." I grabbed the box. "What's in here? If I open it, will I see you?"

_'Oh, yes, Yuugi. I'm a person hiding inside a small box. Help, it's so cramped in here. Let me out.'_

"Ouch," I muttered under my breath as I tapped the lid. "No need for the sarcasm." Biting my lip, and after only a minute of hesitation, I lifted the top. "What the…" I stared down at the box's contents. More gold - of course. There were so many odd shapes and sizes. I pulled a flat piece out and studied the eye that was engraved on it. "It's a…puzzle?" I slid off the couch so I was sitting right in front of the table, and I then dumped all the golden pieces out of the box. I studied them on the table and smiled. "It is. It's a puzzle." I loved puzzles. Puzzles were great. Puzzles were a way to take my mind off of things. And God knows I needed some distraction.

'_Very good, Yuugi. What's next? Finger painting?'_

I flinched. His tone hurt a lot more than the words did. "What did I…?" I started to ask, but I trailed away and let it hang in the air. It was an empty question, really. I turned away from the now empty box and moved the pieces around to study each one individually. The puzzle was 3D, obviously. Some pieces were flat, like a normal puzzle, but then others were completely covered with jagged bumps and dips. I wished that I knew the shape, knew what it was supposed to end up looking like. It would be easier to figure out where everything went if I had a picture—or even an idea. I picked up another piece and twisted it, and it locked into place with a soft clink. Well, there's two. Only a whole pile to go. I gave a small smile, but it fell away at the heavy silence over us.

What was up with Yami anyway? What was the tone for? I must have said or done something wrong, I just didn't know what. Maybe I shouldn't have told him about my nightmare after all. Maybe it hurt him more that he let on – more than I thought. God, I didn't want him to be upset. I didn't mean to do that.

_'Yuugi.'_

"M'hm?"

_'I'm sorry.'_

"For what?"

_'I really didn't mean to hurt—'_

"You didn't hurt me." I lied. It seemed that I was lying a lot lately. Real nice.

_'I can tell I did. You're not good at hiding emotions.'_

"Oh, really? I always thought I was good at it."

_'Then I must be more attentive. I hurt you.'_

"Okay, maybe you did. A little. But I'm fine." With another small click, I got another piece to fit in place. I may not know exactly what I was doing, but this wasn't so hard. "I'm a grown man. I can take a hit once in a while."

_'Still. I really am sorry. I'm just angry—'_

"At me?" I placed the puzzle down and stared at the box. I knew that the box wasn't what he was, but it was easier to talk when I was focusing on something.

_'No! No, not at you. Never. I mean…I'm more jealous than angry. You have everything, and I have—I am—nothing. I'm just upset that I can't remember anything. I want to know about myself…about why my past is gone. I want to be able to sit by you and not feel this darkness pressing against me all the time.'_

"Oh…" I fidgeted with another piece, and it fell into place. I didn't know what to say. "This is a pretty hard puzzle."

_'You seem to be getting through it easily.'_

"I thought so, too, at first. But it's wrong." I pointed to a small, jagged piece that was nestled under another. "See this piece? It looks like it's in, but it's not. It's a trick, and I bet there are many other pieces like that." I frowned and removed the piece. I turned it ninety degrees, and it connected with a different piece. "See what I mean? Without knowing the final form…it could take me hundreds of tries."

_'I see.' _It was quiet for a moment, then:_ 'So why do you hate birds?'_

"Huh?"

_'When you were asleep, you muttered something about hating birds.'_

"Oh, well…they're just really annoying," I fidgeted with another piece of the puzzle.

_'That's a lie. You're lying, Yuugi. I can tell. Either that or you're not telling me the whole story.'_

"Fine," I sighed, frustrated. "When I was six, I was attacked by a vulture." I heard snort and could feel his amusement, and I glared at the box. "It's not funny! I was at my uncle's, and we saw a dead bunny on the road. I wanted to bury it, but then a vulture came out of nowhere and attacked me." I pulled up my sleeve and pointed to three long marks on my forearm. "See? So I hate bids. They're annoying, they poop all over your car, and they're stupid."

_'They are not. Some are very smart.'_

"You only like them because one of your gods was a bird."

_'You mean Ra. We depend on him for light.'_

"The only thing I can depend on is that they'll crap all over my car and wake me up at all hours of the morning."

_'C'mon, Yuugi. You can't hate them that much. They eat insects, their songs are lovely, and-"_

"All right, I get it." I turned away from the box again and placed another piece into the puzzle. "I still hate them, though." I muttered lowly. A sudden rumbling noise made me look at the box again quickly. "What was that?"

_'I thought you, of all people, would know a laugh when you hear it, Yuugi.'_

I shook my head and set down the puzzle. "You've never laughed before, though."

_'Sure I have.'_

"Not in front of me." I propped my head on my hands and grinned.

'_Really? Well,_ y_ou're so stubborn that it's funny. I like it. Or did I offend you?'_

I shook my head again, quicker. "Not at all!" I picked the puzzle back up and smiled in spite of myself. "Not at all. I actually...I really like your laugh. It's nice." I hoped Yami couldn't see my red face. Why was I blushing like he'd just asked me to prom or something?

'_Then I will have to laugh more often.'_

"If you want to…" I muttered. I bit my lip carefully, trying not to smile like a fool. Okay, so maybe having him around won't be so bad after all.

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Please review?


	5. Almost Touching

_'That piece next your hand goes right there in that square space.'_

"Yeah, I see it."

_'And…what about—'_

"This piece?" I held up a rather large, jagged piece of the gold puzzle. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." The piece went into the rest of the puzzle with a small_ click. _It had already been five days since I had brought the golden box back home with me from Egypt. Five days since I met Yami. Five days since I started the strange puzzle that had been kept inside the box.

At first, I had just been doing it to keep myself distracted, but I quickly learned that Yami required more attention than the puzzle. Not that I could blame him, really. I'd be bored being stuck where ever he was stuck, too. And honestly, it was nice to have someone to talk to. Some noise to overlap the usual silence in the house. Not to mention, I found myself enjoying Yami's company a lot. Just maybe a little _too_ much.

_'See the piece with the squared edge right there?'_

I picked up the one he was talking about and set it against the puzzle.

_'You know, this is kind of fun.'_

I laughed lightly, placing the puzzle down on my desk. "Yeah, solving puzzles is fun." I winked at the box.

_'Well, that...but I was mostly talking about spending time with you.'_

I looked away and chuckled. "I can't imagine I am all that interesting, but thank you. And it's weird working on a puzzle with someone who seems to sort of know exactly where everything goes."

_'What can I say? I have a gift.'_

I laughed again, looking at the now half-completed puzzle. I no longer wondered what would happen when I built it. No, now I almost feared what would happen. The puzzle was locked away inside a heavily trapped and hidden tomb, so it was most definitely something important; maybe even dangerous. Not to mention the fact that there was some kind of spirit locked inside it. I don't know how – nothing could possibly explain it. But yet here it was - here he was. So I had decided that something would probably happen when I finally put all of the puzzle together, but the question was if it would be a good thing...or bad.

What if solving it meant that I free Yami and he left for the afterlife—or whatever happens to you when you die? Or would he stay here with me as a ghost or something? These thoughts scared me almost more than the nightmares did. I didn't want to keep him trapped here because of my oown selfish wishes, yet I didn't want him to go.

I had only known Yami for almost a week now, but I really couldn't imagine life without him. Sounds extremely cliché, I know, but it was true. Everything about this just seemed so normal. Like we'd been best friesnd for years already. Like things were finally the way they were supposed to be. Like I was a puzzle myself, missing an important piece. He found it and completed me. It was egoistic, but honestly I just didn't want to go back to being all alone. With no one to talk to or be with constantly. Nothing but the silence to accompany me. Now that I knew what it was like to have someone to really depend on, someone to be around...I didn't want to lose it.

They were such silly thoughts, really, but I couldn't help but think about them. The one thing I really wondered about was why I, out of everyone in this vast world, was the only one who was able to hear him. Jou had come over the other day - no doubt to check up on his "insane" friend – and I showed him the puzzle. I told him everything I had learned. But no matter how loud Yami hollered, Jou was blissfully unaware of him. All of Yami's yelling only accomplished in giving me a migraine. And, of course, when Jou had left - more convinced that I wasn't going off the deep end - and I had gone to sleep the headache off, I had another nightmare.

That was something to wonder about. I was running dangerously low on energy lately because I hadn't been getting much sleep. Without even having to look, I knew I had tired marks under my eyes. I was sleeping maybe only four to five hours a night. Every time I got to a place where I was comfortable and deeply under, I would wake up screaming in terror to the sound of Yami calling out my name - trying to wake me up. I know it scared him to see me tortured like that night after night, but I couldn't make it stop, no matter what I did. The nightmare was always the same, too. The soldiers, a blood-bathed war, a hurt cry and am agonized, heart-breaking scream of "Heba.''

I would wake up, drenched in sweat, trembling and sick from all the blood I had seen. The first thing I did every morning now was throw up from it, and I was just getting so tired. I felt like climbing to the roof of a tall building and screaming at the skies. All I wanted was just one night of perfect sleep. Yami was truly worried about me. I could somehow feel his gaze on me all the time, like he was expecting me to fall apart. He even began trying to ease me into sleep by just talking to me and giving me company. He couldn't remember much, of course, but he did know the simpler things - like his favorite food or favorite color. For the things he didn't know, he would lapse into a silence, trying to think of what to say. Then I would provide questions and things for him to answer or reply to. It would go on for hours like that. Just him and I talking. I swear he probably knew my whole childhood by now, but somehow neither of us got bored. I liked learning what I could about him.

We often discussed what it would be like if he remembered everything. I could hear the longing in his voice, the deep heartache of something that had happened and scarred him deeply; I was upset to know that he felt like this small, lost being. He never really said it outloud, but I know that's what he thought of himself. Hardly more than nothing. It ached to know that he was alone and far more fragile than he would ever admit.

Sometimes I thought he was just better off without his memories. Obviously something huge had happened to him in the past. Why else would he now be a spirit locked away in a box – or puzzle, I should say. No matter how much I wanted to help him, I couldn't help but feel that we were getting closer to something we shouldn't mess with. Some sleeping dog that we should just let lie. And I didn't want to bring back thouse painful memories. I'd rather just fill him up with new, positive ones.

I often tried to boost up his ego - because to me, he was more than just some spirit locked away in darkness for so long. One night, I had closed my eyes, and I tried to picture myself like him. No memories, no body. Just a voice that only one person in the world could hear. And it was a sad, suffocating feeling. I couldn't stand it. It was almost as bad as the nightmares.

_'Yuugi.'_

"Huh?" I blinked looked at the box. "What?"

_'Welcome back to Earth.'_

"Oh," I gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I was thinking."

_'You do that a lot.'_

"Is it a crime to think now?" I teased**.**

_'Be careful, thinking is a dangerous hobby.'_

"Don't I know it." I muttered.

_'What were you thinking about?'_

I picked the puzzle back up, inserting a small piece with another with a _click_. "Actually, I was thinking about the puzzle…and you." I answered for him, feeling my ears heat up at having to admit he was on my mind so much. "Um, so…what shape do you think this is going to be?"

"A pyramid. But upside down."

"Yeah, it does look like it could be—" I stopped and my fingers went still. Was it just me, or did that voice sound like it was…real? Not like the normal, distant, in-my-head voice I was so used to now. It sounded like it was only a few feet behind me. But that was impossible - just a second ago he was—

"Yuugi? What's wrong?"

The puzzle slipped from my frozen fingers, and I slowly turned in my seat to look behind me. a pair of sharp, deep, dark ruby eyes stared back at me, faint surprise showing in them. Wow-wee _wow_. Now those were a nice pair of eyeballs. They were gorgeous. So unique. I had to wrench my mind back to working order because I could only stare at them.

"You…" I closed my eyes, rubbed them, shook my head, and looked again. The hallucination was still there. _He_ was still there. Sitting on my bed with crossed legs and arms. He looked about the same height as me—no, he was taller, maybe by a few inches. His defined, angular face was framed by jagged, loose-hanging golden bangs. He resembled the man I had seen in the mirror - sans the dark skin and regal look. He stared back at me, and his eyes shifted from surprise to confusion as I just sat there, mouth gaping.

"Hey, Yuugi? Are you okay?" The voice – the voice I had gotten so used to these past few days – was coming out of the man's mouth. It was impossible...but hadn't the past five days taught me that logic doesn't always work? Still, it was hard for me to truley believe it. I wanted to say something, but all that came out was a stream of air. Now he looked really worried, so I quickly tried again.

"Y…Yami?" I finally got out.

"Yes?"

"I can…I can see..."

The man—_Yami_—tilted his head. "What is it?"

I stood up so fast that my chair fell backwards to the ground with a clatter. "Oh. My. _God_. Yami! I can see you! Like literally _see _you. Right there. On my bed. In front of me! Holy shit, you're handsome - why didn't you tell me you were so attracti—" I covered my mouth with my hand, turning red. "I mean—" I needed to calm down. Now was not the time to be swooning over looks like some little school girl.

He didn't notice my embarrassment and looked down, a strangled yell coming from his mouth. "_What the hell?_" he quickly stood up and stared at his palms in disbelief, opening and closing his fingers. "No...there is no way...I mean just...how...?" He looked at me, as if I knew the answer and could explain it to him. I only shrugged, as mystified as he. I was in a mix of jumping up and down in excitement, and screaming my head off in fear, but somehow I managed to not do either and keep a level head.

"I can't believe…" I took a deep breath and started laughing, excited. He suddenly started walking toward me, and he reached out to touch my shoulder. I stood still, waiting in anticipation to feel him against my skin... our joy was short-lived. His hand went right through my shoulder, then his entire arm. My skin grew cold and tingled where he passed through me like a ghost. His lips dropped and pulled together in a dissatisfied, tight line and he drew back, shrinking in on himself.

"This is great." I told him, trying to sound light, ignoring my own disappointment. I wanted to see him smile – I wanted him to be happy.

"Nnh…" He shrugged and folded his arms. His eyes shifted, looking past me.

"Really, Yami." I stepped aside so I was in his line of sight again and grinned."I can see you. This is great. I can see your face…"

"Wonderful." He said, ruby eyes narrowing. "Hurray for you." He looked like he was going to cry, and yet not. I opened my mouth, but quickly shut it. If anything, I have learned not to argue with him when he gets like this. It would only make things worse. Yami was, surprisingly, pretty touchy; even if he liked to act just the opposite. What made him happy made him happy, and what made him angry made him angry. No pretenses. What you see is what you get. And that was both good and bad about him.

I counted to five slowly in my head, picked up the desk chair, and sat down. I made sure to keep him in the corner of my eye, though. I couldn't bring myself to look away completely. Not because he was extremely attractive – because he really was – but because I was kind of scared that, if I did look away, he would disappear again. As fast as he appeared, he would vanish just as quickly. That he would go back to being just a voice in my head. He might not think much about it, but I think him finally having a body – some kind of form, if any – was amazing. It showed that we were making progress. With what, I didn't know, but I was determined to figure it out.

"Shit," Yami suddenly muttered, sounding angry. I jumped slightly at the sudden outburst and turned to him, watching as he ran a hand through his hair, looking regretful. "Damn it." He looked at me. "Yuugi, I'm sorr—"

"You're sorry," I said over him, my voice coming out harsher than I wanted it to. But I couldn't help it. As fond as I was of him, I couldn't deny that he really acted like such a child sometimes. It was one of those things that both intrigued me, yet pissed me off at the same time. I took a deep breath and tried to sound softer. "I get it. It's alright." His eyes narrowed a bit, but he didn't say anything. He just nodded, obviously not wanting to say something in case he hurt me. Great, now it was my turn to apologize.

"Yami, it's really okay. I know you're sorry. I'm sorry, too."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about." Yami sighed and sat on the edge of my bed again, looking at his hands in his lap. "I am not being very thoughtful about how happy this makes you. I got angry, and I took it out on you. It's just that…I have a body, but at the same time I don't. You have something you can see now, but I am still just a…hell, I don't know what I am. What's the point of having a body if I cannot do anything, not even something as simple as touching you? I can't feel anything."

"Not true." I said. I stood up and walked over to him. "You're feeling sorry, right?"

He gave a quick smile before he shook his head. "You know what I mean. Like feel things _physically_. The wind, dirt in my hands, the sun against my skin…" He looked at me and, so quickly I had no time to react, he reached his arm out. His hand went right through my chest, where my heart was. My skin erupted in goosebumps. His eyes tightened as he looked at his arm that was through my chest. "I cannot feel you."

My heart gave a sudden squeeze and I averted my eyes from him, trying not to blush - especially because there was nothing for me to blush about. I moved and sat next to him on the bed. "Well… I can feel you." I said quietly. I could practically hear the confusion coming from him, so I clarified: "I mean, when you touch me, I sort of feel it."

"What do you mean by, 'sort of'?"

"Well, it's not that I felt you, per se, but it does feel...colder where you touch me. And it tingles."

"Oh, that's great!" I looked over just in time to see him rolling his eyes. "Now I know that I can make someones body temperature drop. My life-long dream has been realized." He smiled a little, though, so I know he's just joking and being sarcastic, and I couldn't help but smile back. He lifted his hand up to my face, and I instinctively flinched back a little.

"Wait…" he murmured, leaning forward. He was looking at me intensely, and I could feel blood rushing to my face. So much for not blushing. My skin suddenly prickled as his fingertips touched my cheek. I couldn't help but shudder at the odd sensation traveling over my skin, but it wasn't unpleasent. Then his other hand came up and did the same to the other cheek, and I shut my eyes. I could feel him...but in more ways than how I'd told him. But it's not like I could tell him that I could feel him deep in my heart. Something so sappy and stupid could never be said outloud.

"So you can feel that?" He asked softly, truly curious. I couldn't answer him. I just wanted…hell; I'm not sure what I wanted, really. More than…_this_. More than touching. More than just this slight cooling tingle. I just…I wanted him. With me. Always. I wanted him to hold me and just stay and never leave... "Yuugi?"

I opened my eyes and pulled myself back from him. The places where he touched me went from cold to burning, and not just because my heart was pumping my blood to my cheeks at a hundred miles an hour. I stood up and crossed my arms in front of my chest, trying to figure out what on earth was wrong with me. Why was he so important to me? How could I possibly have let him get so close to me? I never let people just...touch me randomly like that (even if he couldn't technecally touch.) But with him I was suddenly okay with being clingy? If he had wanted to try touching something, he could have tried grabbing an object - or at least touched my arm instead. Anything but my face like he had done. That was just too...intimate. And what worried me most was my reaction. I wasn't angry or weirded out or anything...instead, I wanted him to come over and touch me again, even though it was so cold and foreign. For some reason, I didn't mind that he'd been so close.

I walked away from Yami. Grandpa would say that I was running from something, but I know I was just protecting myself. I didn't want to be hurt, and getting closer to Yami would just inflict pain on me. Because, surely, one day he would leave. Or I'd want more than he could give. Because everyone in my life always ended up leaving in some way. And there was no way I was going down that road. Not again.

"Um, so…" I grabbed the puzzle off the desk for a distraction. "How do you know?"

Yami was silent for a moment, and I got ready for his questions about my behaviour. But they didn't come. "Know what?" He asked, and I was grateful that he was letting it drop. But I could stop the little part of me that wanted to know what he thought about it; about him touching me.

"Um, this." I held out the puzzle and banished all those thoughts from my head. "How do you know what shape it's going to be?"

His gaze dropped to the puzzle, then raised back to meet my eyes. "I don't know. I just…do." He shrugged and walked up to the desk, too. "It is supposed to look like this." He held out his hands and made an upside down triangle with his thumbs and pointer fingers. "And there is an eye, right in the middle."

I held out the flat piece. "You mean this eye?"

"Yes," He reached out, as if he was going to take the piece from me, but his hand passed right through it. It also went through my fingers, and I shivered with the sudden cold, jerking away from him once again. He quickly leaned away from me, his expression apologetic. We stood in silence for a moment – but this time it was different. It was awkward. Unfulfilled. For the first time, I wasn't sure how to keep a conversation going with him.

"Well, at least I have a more effective way of waking you up during your nightmares now," He said, saving me from having to find a new topic. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, and I relaxed a little. This I could handle. This was normal. And for the sake of my own sanity, this was the way it was going to stay.

"You wouldn't dare." I threatened. I could feel the weight of his thoughts and I added, "Yami, I don't want to talk about them."

"But..."

"There's nothing to say." I sat down in the chair and rested my chin on the desk, which was mostly healed but still a little sore. "They're just nightmares. They're nothing that's going to hurt me."

"You should see yourself, Yuugi." He said softly. "You're afraid to go to sleep at night, and when you do sleep it is restless and chaotic - You scream. It...it terrifies me to see you like that. And you look so tired—"

"I don't just look tired, Yami. I _am_ tired." I sighed. He muttered something, but I caught it and I turned to glare at him. "And don't even start with the it's-my-fault-you're-having-nightmares routine!"

"Well, you weren't having them until you met me."

"Okay, so? They're just…random nightmares. Dreams brought on by my fears and REM cycle."

"It is not random." He came over and kneeled next to me. "Haven't you realized?"

"Realized what?"

"They're memories, Yuugi. _My_ memories."

I blinked, and sat up straight, turning the chair toward him.  
"No. That's...not possible. You don't have memories."

"It is possible." He replied. "Somehow…I don't know how or why, but you are seeing my last moments through your dreams."

"But you don't remember your—"

"I know!" He set his hands on the armrests of the chair. "I know I don't remember. But something…some part of me must! Somewhere deep in my mind, the memories are still there - in a place I personally can't access. But you can. And you do. You see them in your dreams."

"So you died…in a war?"

Yami grimaced. "It would seem so."

"This is too weird." I said, rubbing my forehead with my hand. "I thought a spirit trapped in a box was enough, but now I'm seeing your past? What does it all mean? And why? Why are you so connected to me? I don't understand any of it and it's driving me crazy."

"I don't know why. But if I had known... I should have never asked you to take me away with you. I never thought that I would cause—"

"It's not your fault, Yami."

"Yes, it is, actually." He stood up and crossed his arms.

"No."

"Yes."

"No, it—"

"Are you seriously arguing with me about this?" His eyebrow twitched. I figured out that it does that when he's irritated.

I stood up, hands on my hips.  
"So what if I am?"

He sighed and looked out the window.  
"You…" He announced, "are such a _child_."

"Child?!" The phone suddenly drowned out my outraged yell. "_I'm_ the child?!" The phone went off again, and I hesitated a moment before giving Yami the finger and running into the living room to answer it. I could hear Yami's laughter from the bedroom. That...that _ass._

"Hello?" I asked, gritting my teeth. The nerve…calling me a child. What did that make him, then? Certainly he was worse than I.

_"Hiya, Yuugi!"_

"Hey, Jou," I said back, trying to sound cheerful as Yami strutted—yes, he _strutted_, the arrogant asshole—into the living room and sat down on the arm of the couch. "What's up?"

_"Tha sky. What's down?"_

"The ground," I answered, smiling at our trademark since the sixth grade. Yami smirked, and I gave him a dirty look and turned my back to him.

_"Hey, you know that new movie that came out not too long ago? With the superheroes?"_

"Yeah, what about it?"

_"Guess whose got three tickets to see it?"_

"Umm…You?"

_"Bingo! Wanna go? It'd be Anzu, you, and I—like in high school! Except you and Anzu aren't dating anymore—"_

"Gee, thanks for bringing that up, Jou." I remarked. "That was a long time ago."

_"Yeah, yeah. You wanna go or not?"_

"Of course I want to go. I—" I stopped and looked to Yami, and he stared back at me steadily with those sharp eyes of his. What would he do all day? He could come with me… Could he? I wondered if he was able to leave the house, or if he was trapped here because the puzzle was here. Like, could he be away from it, or was it some kind of distance rule? Would I have to take the puzzle with me? And what if people could see him now? What would I say he is to me? Maybe I was just over thinking things...

_"Yuugi?"_

"Yeah, Jou. I'm here." I turned back around. "I'll meet you there, okay? I have something I need to tell you, anyway."

_"Nah, man! Now I'm curious! What is it?"_

"I'll tell you later." I sighed. "Bye, Jou."

_"Awright, fine. Bye, Yuugi!"_

I hung up the phone and leaned against the wall, thinking. Suppose Yami _could_ leave the house—would he like watching a movie with me—er, us? Did he even know what a movie was? What if he got bored, or if he just didn't like the movie? What would I do, then?

But why was I even worried about it? If he didn't like it, he could leave. I wasn't here to please him…but… I snuck a peek at him and watched as he examined the lamp. I wanted him to be happy. I wanted to see him smile, and I wanted to hear him laugh—no, I guess you could say that I wanted to be the reason he laughed. I looked away. Now suppose Yami _couldn't_ leave the house. Would I take the puzzle with me, or would I just leave him here alone? I mean, he's already been alone for so long…any more would just be cruel. Would he mind, though? What would he do the entire time I was gone? Would he even think about me? Would he miss me?

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't realize Yami was next to me until he poked the center of my stomach.  
"Yami!" I gasped at the sudden shock of cold, and I jumped away from him. He laughed, absolutely delighted with my response.

"I'm sorry! You were just thinking so hard that I could not resist." His eyes glittered again.

"Don't do that!" I ordered.

"You didn't seem to mind it earlier." He said, leaning down so we were eye level. I immediately thought of him touching me in my bedroom just moments ago, and I felt myself blushing like an idiot. Is that what he was getting at? So much for him letting it drop. I got the feeling he was trying to provoke something from me. But what? What could he possibly want?

"T-that was different." I snapped. "Just now you did it out of nowhere and scared me!"

"Says the man who braved six floors of a tomb filled with traps." Yami sounded amused. "So... it is okay as long as I don't sneak up on you, then?" He asked, stepping forward. My skin felt cold and tingled where he was brushing against me.

I pinned him with a look and ducked around him.  
"Stop joking around all the time. No one will ever take you seriously."

"I am not joking." He replied, I could feel him watching me. I didn't reply. "So… who was on the phone?"

"It was Jou. He wanted to know if I wanted to see a movie."

"A what?"

"It's like a play, but on a big screen." I held my hands out wide to emphasize.

"Really?" He sounded interested.

"Yeah… uh, do you want to come?"

He nodded.  
"Okay."

"Really?"

"Yes, why not?"

"So…that means you _can_ leave the house?" I asked.

He looked at me incredulously. "Why would I not be able to leave?" He suddenly gave a feral smirk. "Or do you want to keep me prisoner here?" I swallowed hard and turned red once again. It seemed I blushed a lot lately. What was I going to do if he insisted on playing around like that?

"Where did you learn to be such a playboy?" I asked shocked. Give a guy a body and this is what happens. "Oh, never mind. If you wanna go, let's go." I walked away from him and grabbed my shoes. He grinned and, as I walked out the front door, he walked right through the wall. Then he looked back at me, his eyes glittering mischievously. I just stared at him for a minute before I turned around to lock the door.

"Show-off." I muttered under my breath, but he heard me, and the sound of his laughter filled my ears. He was such an ass.

* * *

_Please review?_


	6. Completed

_Click_…

I gently placed the puzzle down on my desk, exmining it. It was so close to being finished, but I couldn't work on it right now. I was too distracted. The past twenty four hours had been a bit of a strain on me, honestly. It's not that I didn't enjoy the movie yesterday—it had actually been the highlight of the time. It had been a very good movie – great plot, excellent acting…the entire thing was amazing quality. It was just that I could have enjoyed it so much more if a certain blue-eyed girl hadn't been there.

Don't get me wrong, Anzu is a great friend, but she had been…well, a pretty bad girlfriend. The whole time I was there in the dark theater, only mere inches from her, I had the displeasure of feeling that small, what-I-thought-was-healed hole in my heart tear open ever so slightly. I felt like I was right back to where I was when we first broke up - hurt and alone.

Maybe I could forgive and forget and go back to being best friends with her if she hadn't cheated on me. I've tried forgetting it for years now, and I had actually thought I was really over it, but I wasn't. The hurt from it was still there, even years later - as noticeable as the nose on my face. A hurt that was always going to keep us from being as close as we once were, no matter how hard we tried. It's not that I was still in love with Anzu - that I have gotten over. Everything I felt was purely platonic now. I just couldn'tget over how it had happened. I couldn't believe that it had happened to me. I was really good to her and she found someone else. I wasn't angry that she'd found someone new. I mean, at first I was, of course, but now it's just…hard to talk about.

And if that wasn't enough, I also had to deal with another certain someone.

I paused in my construction of the puzzle against and cast a quick glance over to Yami. It seemed I really was the only one who could see and hear him – because no one in the theater noticed him at all. He had even gone to the front of the seats and did jumping jacks in front of everyone for my benifit. Right now he was sitting on the end edge of my bed, arms and legs crossed, his back turned to me. It was almost like he was sulking or something. He'd been acting like that since we came home yesterday.

Usually, that would make me laugh, but not now. Instead, there was this heavy weight on my shoulders that only got heavier as the silence grew longer. And I was far too chicken for some reason to try and break the quiet. Once in a while, as I had been working on the puzzle, I had seen him out of the corner of my eye, gazing at me, before he would turn back around and retreat back to his thoughts.

I gave another, quiet sigh and turned back to the puzzle. The whole time I'd been thinking, I'd been working on it again. What was with this puzzle and helping me think? It's like it helped me sort out my mood. But that's not why I was shocked.

Looking at it, I saw that there was only one more piece left. The only flat piece in the entire puzzle – the piece with the Eye of Horus engraved to it. I carefully picked it up and stared at it. Usually with puzzles, I'd just finish it. Get it over with and move on. But not with this. I couldn't. Because what would happen when I did insert that last piece? Would Yami disappear from here?

I shook my head. I didn't want that. I didn't want that in the slightest. What would I do if he did go? I knew it wasn't like I would die without him around, but I knew I'd be miserable at best without his constant company. I hated to think that after getting to know him so well that he'd just be gone with a snap of my fingers.

"Yuugi?"

Before I could think about it, I quickly shoved the final piece into my pocket and turned to look at Yami.  
"Yes?" I asked, trying to smile at him.

His eyes scanned over my face, and he frowned.  
"What's wrong?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I turned sideways in my chair so I could see him better.

"You look…" He trailed off, shook his head, and looked back to the wall. "No…never mind."

"Since you're bringing it up…" I started, watching his back, "what's wrong with _you_?"

"Nothing." Was his quick reply.

"Don't lie." I scolded. He remained silent. "Really, Yami. What is it?"

"It's…petty, actually. Don't worry about it."

"Yami, trust me. You can talk to me you know."

"I don't like her." He finally admitted

"Her?" I frowned and shifted so I was sitting in my chair backwards. "You mean Anzu, right?"

"I don't like her." He repeated, finally turning around so he was facing me.

"But why not?"

"I'm not sure." His eyebrows came together. "I told you it was petty."

"There has to be another reason. You don't even know her."

"It's just…you weren't very happy."

"I wasn't?" I raised my eyebrows. "Why do you say that? I enjoyed hanging out with my friends."

"You seemed uncomfortable around her."

I blew my bangs out of my face.  
"Honestly, Yami. I'm as happy as I've ever been."

"Don't lie." He scolded. I gave a frustrated groan and I rubbed my face. Yami was always much more perceptive than I gave him credit for. "So…what happened between you two?"

"It's…" I sat up and folded my arms. I didn't feel like talking about that whole mess right then. Too long of a story. "None of your business."

"If it has to do with you, it is my business." He replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. "It's not up to you to decide what you can poke your nose into."

"Well, I'm making it my business, then." He insisted.

"Too bad."

"No."

I dropped my head onto the back of the chair. How stubborn could one guy be?  
"Yami...just drop it." I repeated.

"Yuugi," His voice was sharp. "What on earth is going on in that head of yours?"

"Okay, fine." I looked up at him. The sooner I answered, the sooner he's let it go. "Years ago, Anzu and I used to date. She cheated on me. I found out. We broke up." My anger was starting to get the better of me - again - but I couldn't help it. I had asked him to leave it alone, and he wouldn't. When did Yami ever do what I asked, though? "Is that what you wanted to know? You glad you brought it up? Why are you asking me such a question, anyway? It has nothing to do with out. You didn't know me then." I stood up. "And if you knew that I wasn't happy and I didn't want to talk about it, why would you bring it up in the first place? Just shut up and leave me alone about it, alright?"

Yami looked surprised. He opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure whether to answer or not. I fell back into the chair. What was I doing? I was taking out my anger on him when he was just worried about me. I was the absolute worst. I had basically taken all my hurt from Anzu and dumped it on him in an angry outburst. No wonder I was alone.

"Shit." I muttered, raking a deep breath, staring at the floor. "Jesus. Yami, I didn't mea—"

"I'm sorry." Yami suddenly said, interupting me. His voice came from somewhere above my head, and I looked up to see him standing in front of me. "I didn't mean to hurt you or bring up anything unpleasent - I shouldn't have even asked. I knew you were unhappy and I was worried." He tilted his head a little, still gazing at me. "It's just that…as soon as you saw her, you seemed sad, and that made me…angry."

"Why?"

He pursed his lips, like he was going to say one thing, but changed his mind.  
"What can I say? That I'm only human?"

"I don't think that really applies to you." I say, eyeing his almost transparent body. Yami kneeled so now I was the one looking down.

"I feel human…" He said quietly, eyes gazing at me. He placed a hand over his heart. "I want to be, Yuugi."

"You are." I assured him. I reached out, to touch his cheek, by my hand slipped through air and I pulled away; fingers numb where they'd passed through him.

"What you said is true." He said. "I don't know much about you, about you back then - besides what you've told me. But I'd really like to. I would like to learn everything about you. And then keep discovering new things for the rest of my time here. I find you so fasinating."

"Why?"

"Because..." Yami hesitated. "I really think I might l—" Yami's words were cut off by the doorbell. He stopped talking, but he didn't move. I didn't, either. I couldn't take my gaze off of his, and, more than anything, I wanted him to finish his sentence. Maybe he could also feel the weird connection between us. Maybe it wasn't just me who wanted to have him next to me always - maybe he wanted to stay with me, too. Wanted to be with me more than he wanted to get his memories. I just needed some kind of confirmation from him that I wasn't the only one feeling so attached - even though I told myself not to.

The doorbell rang out through the house again, and I wished who ever it was would just go away. Yami reached over to set his hand over mine. Even though my skin tingled and felt cold, I didn't pull away. The doorbell rang again and again impatiently, and I sighed. Too late. The moment was gone. "I'll be back." I murmured as I stood up and left the room. As soon as I opened the front door and saw who was waiting for me, I immediately wished I had pretended I wasn't home.

"Ah, Mr. Mutou." Pegasus greeted me, quickly pulling his hand away from the doorbell—about to ring it yet again, I guessed. I nodded and he nodded back curtly. Obviously this trip wasn't for fun. It was all business.

"What do I owe the pleasure, Pegasus?" I asked, folding my arms and leaning against the doorframe.

"It's about our recent trip to Egypt, actually." He said. "May I come in?"

"I'm sure you can say what you need to out here." I replied, a bit more coolly than I intended. His eyes narrowed at my tone.

"Yes, well…" He wiped the front of his red coat discretely. "I'll get right to the point, then. When you went down to the tomb, are you quite sure you got to the end?"

"Yes, I am _quite sure_." I said, a little irritated at being interrogated once again. "There was no where else to go."

"And you're certain you didn't find anything?"

I thought about the Puzzle quickly. "I'm very sure."

"Really, now?" He tilted his head slightly. "Very certain? You didn't find even one thing? What about any…boxes?"

"Boxes?" I repeated.

"Yes. Boxes. Made out of gold, perhaps?"

He knew. He knew about the Puzzle. But how did he know? I tried to get my heart to slow down.  
"No, there wasn't one of those." My voice gave way a little toward the end.

"Mr. Mutou, if you have indeed found something and not alerted me or the other supervisors, I suggest you say so now. I am the one who begged the overseers to let you onto the premises because I knew only you could figure out all the tricks and traps. I have put my faith in you, and I hate to see that trust die. If I were to alert them of anything…suspicious, I'm certain they would bring along the police."

My eyebrows raised.  
"Is that a threat?" I asked lowly.

"No, merely a warning." He replied. "Things such as theft during a archeology dig or search can get very…messy. And I'm sure you'd like to avoid that."

"I honestly don't have a clue what you're talking about." I insisted. "But I would like to remind you that, without cold hard evidence, you can't do anything to me." I crossed my arms. "Sp what's so great about this mystery box you're looking for, anyway?"

"We've been looking for it for many years." Pegasus informed me. "It is said that it was once the most important item owned by the Pharaoh - whose name has somehow just vanished from all history."

"The box was?"

"No," Pegasus said. Forgetting that he was supposed to be giving me the third degree, he leaned forward a bit, his eyes alight – like he always got with mysteries. A passion we, unfortunately, shared. "What was _in_ the box was most important."

"What was in it?" I asked, craving information. How much did Pegasus really know?

"Some kind of puzzle…one with great powers that could seal away any enemy of Egypt." Pegasus looked excited, and I felt my neck get clammy. "We have concluded from every record we have found that the Puzzle was one among seven items that could wield all kinds of powerful magic. We believe they were lost during a great war in Egypt. But there's nothing else recorded. Both the items - and the Pharaoh - just disappeared." He stood up straight again. "That, Mr. Mutou, is why I got you to go down there and discover the tomb. You're smart – and as much as I hate to say it, you are far more skilled than I. If anyone could solve the mystery, I knew it would be you."

"You…may have put a bit too much hope in me." I said back quietly, my mind occupied by all the new things I had learned.

"…I shall believe you on this." Pegasus finally relented. "I hope you're telling me the truth."

"Of course." I nodded, earnest. "If there had been anything, I would've definitely reported to you. But it's like I said before; there wasn't a mystery to solve." Pegasus gave me one more long, searching look before nodding and turning away. I carefully shut the door and took a deep breath, unsettled. If only Pegasus knew just how big of a mystery there actually was in our midst now. I wanted to solve it so bad, but I was also scared to know what was waiting for me when I did.

I could almost laugh at the irony. The biggest mystery of my life, and I couldn't solve it; I was choosing now to get cowardly.

Everything always came back to Yami. All the points were connected to him, like the center of a spider's web. He was the Pharaoh of Egypt…there had been a war during his reign, during which he was...killed? Surely he was. How else would someone just disappear? My dream made so much sense now with Yami's realization and Pegasus's information. The Egyptian man in the mirror was Yami; still as a pharaoh. The bloody battle was the war that took him away. The agonized scream of "Heba!" had to be him, too. But whoever that was, I still didn't know. Same with the chilling laughter; who on earth could that have been? Surely not Yami. It was too cruel...to sinister. Yami would not have been laughing like that during a war.

But…if I really was reliving his memories in my dreams, why was I not seeing the war from _his_ point of view? Something was missing. No…some_one_ was missing. I wasn't seeing things through Yami's eyes. I was seeing it all through someone else's. But how? Why? and _Who_? What was I still missing?

I walked back into my room, deeply in thought. Yami was standing over my desk, looking at the puzzle.  
"It's almost complete." He commented, bending slightly to get a better look.

"Almost." I joined him, trying to figure out exactly how to bring up what I had discovered. Should I even say anything? If I stayed silent, I would always want to solve the mystery, but Yami would stay here and be happy. Or as happy as he can - which was better than no happiness at all. But could I be so selfish to keep things from him? Especially when it's _his_ past?

"One more piece." He shook his head and looked to me. "I can't believe it. Time flies."

No. I couldn't. I just couldn't keep answers from him. It wasn't fair. Any relationship based on lies is doomed to fail. I had to tell him. And I had to trust in the decision he makes after hearing the truth. It wasn't easy...but it was what's right. I pulled the final piece from my pocket, "I have the last piece here."

He didn't look at it, though. He kept watching me.  
"Who was at the door?" He asked.

"What?" I questioned, taken aback. I had been expecting him to insist on me finishing the puzzle right away.

"The door. Who was it?" He tilted his head. "Was it that girl?"

"Anzu?" I was lost. He was confusing me. Wasn't the puzzle more important to him than this?

"Was it?"

"No." I turned the puzzle piece over in my hand, feeling the ridges with my thumb. "It was Pegasus. He was just asking me some questions...about the tomb."

"Oh."

"Um, yeah. But that's not really important right now. I have something I need to tell you, but..." I lifted the last piece to him. "I should finish the puzzle, right?"

"You sound like it's your duty to finish it."

"Well, isn't it?" I heaved a sigh. "I mean, I'm the only one who can hear you or see you. Doesn't that make you my responsibility?"

"You sound like you're a parent, but I suppose it does." Yami looked down at the piece that I was playing with. "I'm…it's not that I'm scared, just—"

"Anxious?" I guessed. "Worried? Not scared at what will happen, but fearful for what might?" He looked back to my face and gave me a weak smile. "I know. I've been thinking about what would happen when I solve the puzzle ever since I got halfway done. I've been wondering…what will happen to you."

"I wish I knew, but I don't."

"You want to find out, though, right?"

"Yes."

"So do I…" I muttered. "But…what if you disappear? Would solving the puzzle be worth that? I don't want to...lose you."

"I won't go away."

For some reason, his assurance made me feel like crying.  
"What if you do?" I managed to ask.

"You told me you have something important to tell me. I'll be here for you to tell me."

"How can you be so sure?"

Yami stepped forward and carefully cupped my cheeks with his hands; I ignored the cold.  
"If anything, this I am sure of: as long as you have the Puzzle, I will be here."

That did it. He was just so…kind. I felt a tear roll down my face and I pulled my lips into a tight line. "Sorry…" I said. "I'm just a bit—"

"Anxious?" Yami guessed, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. "Worried? Not scared at what will happen, but fearful for what might?"

I gave a small laugh and quickly brushed the wetness away.  
"Yeah. You could put it that way."

Yami pulled away from me, placing his hands around mine so he and I were encasing the last piece of the puzzle. "I guess we'll just find out together." He said.

Heat rose into my face, and I knew…if he weren't a spirit…I would've kissed him. Not just any kiss…the kind of kiss where your mind shuts down and you're so close that you can't tell whose lips are whose. The kind of kiss that makes your heart race. The kiss that makes you want more and more until you feel as if you were not close enough, no matter how much you press into each other. I wanted Yami to be with me always, and I thought it didn't matter how. As long as he was mine and I was his. But now I knew the pain of wanting something you can't have. The suffocating, infuriating feeling of wanted to have something you can't even touch. Being with him wasn;t truly enough. I'd always want more. A caress, an embrace, a kiss...things he just couldn't do in his current state.

When had it started? This…feeling I had for him? How was I so...so infatuated with someone who didn't technecally exist? And in such a short time? I knew I felt connected to him, but this was...crazy. When I was dating Anzu, I had never wanted to be with her or needed her as much as I felt for Yami. I'd spent most of the past years since I broke up with her detaching myself from most feelings; telling myself I wouldn't fall again, therefore I would not hurt again. A resolve that only hardened when my grandfather died. Anyone can simply catch my eye with looks, of course, but it would have taken someone very special to catch my heart. And catch my heart Yami did. He might as well have burst into my home with a buldozer, he so easily knocked down my defenses.

I thought only fools fell in love. It turns out I was one of them. Most likely the biggest one alive.

I was sure that if I told him the truth, he wouldn't feel the same way. I was sure the last thing on his mind was something such as love. Maybe…if I had believed at that time that there was a possibility for us, even the slightest, I would've admitted everything to Yami. Spill out all my gutd and wait, bare and raw, for him to reply. And maybe, if I had done that, things would have turned out differently.

But then there would be no story, would there?

Giving him a smile, I picked up the puzzle. Together we carefully inserted the last piece. I'm sure he was thinking about his lost memories and his future at the time, but me? I, instead, was staying in the present. Savoring the feeling of his hand on top of mine and wondering what it would be like if that hand were not transparent and if it were warm instead of cold.

_Click…_

* * *

_Please review_


	7. New Face, New Place

The final click of the last puzzle piece fitting into place was more like a sharp, definitive snap. It rang in my ears – a deafening, shrill scream that made me want to drop the puzzle and run before I could see what would happen, despite Yami's certain words that all would be okay. The body heat I felt next to me and the hand against mine was the only thing that kept me rooted to the ground.

A quick moment passed by, and Yami let out a low groan. I glanced to him, panicking when I saw him lean over, looking unsteady. He fell against me, and I, expecting him to just pass through me, lost my balance a bit as we clashed. When I was steady again, I realized that he actually hadn't gone through me, and I could feel his labored breath against my neck. I grasped his upper arm, astonished. Wait...I could touch him. He had warmth. He wasn't transparent, but as solid as I.

As I started to fully process this new discovery, but before I could and shout to Yami or dance or laugh, a bright light from the puzzle filled the room. It shined so bright that, even when I closed my eyes against it, it still burned through my eyelids. Not only that, but it was hot; my world was being set on fire. A sharp pain hit my fingers, and I yelped, letting the puzzle drop from my grasp. I shook my hand and then looked at the raw, red flesh. The puzzle had burned me.

"Yuugi…" I heard somewhere near me, and I squinted in order to see Yami through the blinding light. But I couldn't answer him. Pictures were flashing through my mind. No…not pictures…more memories. Yami's? One by one the appeared to me, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on one, it was quickly whisked away and replaced by another. It was so fast that I felt dizzy. People, places, and things I did not recognize assaulted me. I clutched my head in my hands, praying that it would stop soon before I threw up. The puzzle appeared. Then it was gone; replaced by some kind of ring. Then a necklace. Then a staff. On and on until, finally, scales appeared before me, which crumbled into dust. Seven items that each had the eye of Horus on it, but I was too nauseous to try to figure out the connection.

Bile was rising up my throat from my stomach, and swallowed, trying to keep it down. Yami called out to me, and it was the scared tone in his voice made me quickly drop my hands from my face and look at him. He was floating off of the ground, like some unseen force was yanking him back. He twisted, trying to get his feet back on the floor. I stumbled forward, arms outstretched.

"Grab my hand!" I yelled. "Yami! Grab it!"

"I'm trying!" He yelled back, stretching his hand closer to me. I swayed as another wave of nausea hit me, but I managed to stay upright and stretch my arm further. Our fingertips brushed against each other, parted, then hit again.

"God dammit!" I screamed in a frustrated fear, trying to fight against the wind that was tearing us apart. "You said you'd stay! You said you wouldn't go anywhere!" I lunged forward with a roar, grabbing Yami's hand.

"Don't let go!" He pleaded, trying to reach me with his other hand as well.

"I'm won't!" My hair was whipping my face, making it hard to keep my eyes open. It hurt, but I tightened my grip on Yami's hand; the only thing that felt real to me now. A sudden, harder gust blew through us, and our hands were ripped apart. I screamed as Yami was torn from me. Desperately, I reached out, seeking him again. "Yami! _Yami!"_ I sobbed. "You can't leave me now!" Another blast of wind from some unseen force caused my feet to slip from under me. I was tossed backward to the other side of the room. My head hit the wall, and I slumped down it to the floor.

Everything turned black.

* * *

'_Wake up.'_

I frowned at the unfamiliar voice. A woman? Why was a woman in my house? I tried to move, but my hand only twitched. What happened? I felt so disoriented. And exactly what was I lying on? It certainly was not my bed…way to hard and hot. My cheek felt as if it were pressed into the floor rather than my pillows. Summers in Japan usually got hot, but this was just brutal. Had my air conditioning broke during the night? I didn't know. I felt so sluggish and my head was pounding. Maybe I fell out of bed.

'_Hello?' _The voice repeated, and I gave a small groan. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself looking up at a pair of emerald-colored ones. I jerked back in surprise and sat up, crab walking back from the girl.

"Who are you?!" I demanded, staring at the pale woman in front of me. She had thick, blonde hair and rosy cheeks – cute in a strange, otherworldly way. I scrunched up my eyes and spoke again, "Wait a minute…" I covered my mouth with my hand. Something felt different. My mouth was moving in ways to form words that definitely wasn't my native language. "What is…" My eyes widened a fraction. I was speaking ancient Egyptian. But how? I wasn't trying to.

A soft, hot breeze blew by us, but the woman's hair or clothes didn't move with it. As if she were some 3D cardboard cutout. I looked around, trying to find sense somewhere. Everything was void of color…nothing but an array of yellows and browns of sand and stone met my gaze. Between pillars, I could see a village out in the distance, set in the middle of what looked like miles and miles of desert sand. This definitely wasn't Japan. It was Egypt. But how did I get here? This wasn't anything like what I'd seen before in Egypt. Nothing was worn down, eroded, and abandoned – instead it looked alive and thriving.

"How on earth did I get here?" I asked, looking back to the eccentric girl. She didn't look one bit Egyptian.

She blinked, confused. '_We are in the palace, of course.'_ She replied – but here's the weird part: her lips never moved. I could hear her words in my head, like before when Yami was still invisible to me. She reached up and pushed her blue, pointed hat back on her head, and I noticed that she looked really familiar. Like I've seen her before…and kind of recently, too.

"Wait. Hold on. Aren't you…the Dark Magician Girl?" I asked, stunned. She was a monster in the really popular Duel Monsters card game. How on earth was she here in front of me? And real? I kept getting more and more questions, but no answers.

'_Yes, I am.'_ She replied. She was quiet for a moment, then, _'I let my master know where you are. She has been looking for you. I'll seeing you later.'_

"Wai—" I started, but she had already disappeared. Into thin air. Like, _poof_! Gone.

I sat there, unable to move. I was too shocked. I felt like Alice after she'd tripped into the rabbit hole. I was stuck in a place I didn't belong, a place I didn't know. Of course, I'd studied all about Egypt and their way of life, but I'd never actually have been part of it before. Not like this. Was my love for history messing up with my dreams now? Is that what this was? Just one, exhausting dream? It had to be. It had to be just a vivid dream. I should be happy it was this and not the nightmares. Just a dream. There was no other answer but that.

But the heat of the sun on my skin felt so _real_…

"There you are!" A voice, much like the Magician Girl's, called out to me, and I turned to look down the…hall? Is that what this was? Or a courtyard? I was in such shock that I couldn't bring up any of my Egyptian knowledge. Only stare at the figure in the distance numbly.

The girl coming toward me now resembled the Magician in terms of body/face shape, but they were also different. This woman was mocha-skinned, had thick brown hair, and had deep, chocolate-brown eyes. Egyptian through and through. Her clothes weren't bright pink and blue, but a cute, simple tan dress that ended mid-thigh, accessorize with a gold belt and a visor-like hat. She bent down next to me, hands on her knees, a bright grin on her face. She was really cute – but cute in a different way from Anzu. More of a baby animal way. Bright, fluffy, and eager.

"I wondered where you wandered off to!" She continued, and I simply blinked. She spoke as if she knew me well.

"I'm sorry. Who are you?" I asked. She gave me a confused look.

"It that a joke?" She asked. "Oh, you know I'm stupid with things like sarcasm." She stuck her tongue out and knocked her knuckles in her head.

"No, I'm not kidding." I got to my feet, swaying a little. "Who are you?"

She stood up, too, and I noticed she was about the same height as me. Suddenly, I was ranting: "Who are you? How am I here? Where did that last girl go? Magician Girl. She just disappeared! And Yami—" I stopped dead. Yami. Where was he? My head was clearing up. I had finished the puzzle. He was ripped from me. "Yami?" I called out, looking around me. "Yami!"

"Yah…me?" The girl repeated, tilting her head and wrinkling her nose at the foreign name. "What is that?"

"He's a bit taller than me, has crazy hair like mine, and has striking, dark red eyes – like rubies." I explained quickly, still glancing around us, hoping he'd appear. "He likes to tease people – well, me, actually - but he's really smart—"

"You just described the Pharaoh." She replied, giggling. "You are acting really strange, Heba."

"Well, he was a pharaoh, so—_Heba?"_ I looked at her. I didn't think anything could shock me anymore than waking up in Egypt had, but there you have it. "Who's Heba?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it, stumped.  
"You are Heba." She answered. "That's been your name since—"

"No, no." I interrupted. "My name is Yuugi."

"You…gee." She shook her head. "I have never heard anyone call you _that_ before. Is it really a name?"

"Maybe not around here." I admitted, giving her the benefit of doubt. It's not like she caused all this.

"You are scaring me…" She stated softly, taking me by the shoulders, her eyes searching me. "Are you feeling ill?"

"No…No, I'm alright." I replied, pulling her hands off me. "Fine. Call me Heba. Heck, call me Jesus if you want – I don't care. I just need to find Yami." I pushed by her and started walking away, convinced she would be no help at all. She immediately followed after me, skipping to catch up. "Speaking of names," I snapped, a bit too irritable, "what's yours?"

A hurt look crossed her face, but she bravely covered it.  
"It is Mana. How could you forget your best friend's name?"

"My best friend's name is Jounouchi." I argued.

"Yet another odd name…" Mana muttered, folding her hands behind her back as she walked and looking at me closely. "Maybe you are suffering from the heat…it's been very hot as of late. Even Priest Seto fell ill to it not too long ago. Remember how much he complained about being stuck in his chambers and not being able to do his duties? He's such a workaholic."

"I'm not sick, and no, of course I don't remember that!" I fumed at her. "Because I'm not who you think I am. I just want to find Yami and go home. He said nothing would happen…that he'd still be by my side. But he's not. He's gone. I need to find him."

"I do not understand you one bit!" She argued back. Ah, a girl with fire in her bones. "You _are_ home! We've been living together here for about two decades!"

"Maybe this Heba guy you know did, but I'm telling you; that's not me." I retorted, turning a corner. "I'm actually from Domi—_oh!"_ I let out a surprised noise as I ran into someone. Hard. I heard a deep grunt above me and I stumbled back, losing my footing. Before I could fall, a hand shot out and wrapped around my arm, jerking me back up right against a warm chest.

"Um…I'm sorry…" I muttered, removing myself from the person. In truth, I was kind of mad that the person had gotten in my way, but I bit my lip against the insults I was thinking and looked up to apologize properly – because any way you look at it, it was my fault. Two familiar ruby eyes looked back down at me, amused, and my words died in my throat as relief flooded my veins.

"Pharaoh!" Mana exclaimed, and I looked at her as she dropped into a swift bow. "Our deepest apologies!"

"No need for forgiveness." He replied, waving his hand. "Things happen, isn't that right?" He was still looking at me, and my stomach clenched. This man may have dark skin and be adorned with gold and jewels, but there was no doubt about it. It was Yami. But something was wrong...

"I, um…Yami?" I questioned. The man rose his eyebrows and tilted his head.

"What?" He asked, looking from me to Mana with a rueful grin. "Is that my new nickname you two call me behind my back? Whatever happened to 'Royal Pain'?"

"Of course not! 'Royal Pain' still suits you." Mana scoffed. "However, you act as you are so entitled to even have a nickname."

"Well," He said slowly, placing a finger on his chin and pretending to think. "I _am_ the Pharaoh. I think that makes me pretty entitled, don't you?" The amused, sly face he was making now was exactly the same as Yami when he teased me, so I knew that he was enjoying their banter.

Mana puffed her cheeks at him and he hit them so the air passed her lips, giving a small chuckle as he did so.  
"Careful, little water lily. Your face may stick that way if you do it too long and often."

"Oh, boo." She answered, but she was grinning.

I felt as if I was a stranger watching two best friends share and inside joke. A rush of loneliness went through me, like a cold breeze blowing at my back, and I folded my arms over my chest, looking away from the two. I didn't understand anything. Yami was right here and yet…it wasn't him. These people knew me, but I didn't know them. I was trapped in a place and time I was not personally familiar with beyond what I've learned during my studies. I don't know how, but I was in ancient Egypt – three thousand years ago, when Yami ruled the country as a great Pharaoh. Before we met. Which is why he doesn't remember Yugi and the time he spent in the modern world. Which is why this Yami – his real self – just didn't feel so real to me.

"So then who is Yami?" He asked, and I glanced back to Mana and him.

"I have no idea." Mana replied. They both looked to me, and I felt like I was on display. "Heba is…not really making a lot of sense. He says he needs to find a man named Yami and go home. He insists that his name is Yuugi, not Heba."

"Really?" Yami's eyebrows rose. "Are you feeling alright? Should I have Isis see you?"

Before I could think of a reply, a figure suddenly appeared next to the Pharaoh. I jumped, startled, but Yami and Mana seemed totally unfazed. Like it was perfectly normal for strange people to suddenly appear and disappear. I noticed that this creature was from Duel Monsters, too. The Mystical Elf. Why were card game characters wandering around Egypt? She bowed to Yami and I heard her light, airy voice sound out:

'_My Pharaoh, the priests are waiting for you in the throne room.'_

He sighed and simply looked at her.  
"I thought I was done for the day."

_'Something else came up. I was sent by Master Isis to fetch you and give you her apologies."_

"Very well. Tell them I will be there soon. Wait for me." He conceded. The elf bowed again before vanishing into thin air. He turned back to Mana and I and gave a small shrug like _what-can-you-do?_ "It seems that I have to go do more of my duties." He said the last word like it was poison. For the first time I really looked at the Pharaoh and noticed how tired he seemed. And how much he seemed to dislike having more work. Or maybe it was because he thought he was done, but now they're calling him back. I didn't know, and I figured I shouldn't ask him.

"Can we come?" Mana beamed. He smiled and tugged on a strand of her hair.

"I am afraid that is not possible."

"Why not?" She stood straight and tried to look important. "I will be a priestess one day soon, taking over master Mahado's place." She looped her arm over my shoulders and yanked me close. "And Heba might take place as a priest, too! Or something just as equally important!"

"Mana, I said no. Not today."

Her arm slipped off of me.  
"Yes, your highness."

"Oh…" He frowned as if there were a bad taste in his mouth. "Why does that title sound so degrading when you say it?" She gave a haughty sniff and looked away from him. "You don't want to be there anyway. Too boring." He then looked at me, silent for a moment. Then, in a soft tone, "I hope you feel better, Heba." His eyes were too sharp. I couldn't stand here under this man's gaze anymore. I gave a small nod and turned on my heel, walking away from Mana and him.

I felt my eyes getting watery, and I shook my head. Now wasn't the time to be emotional. I needed to figure out how to get home. Then, once there, I could cry over what I'd lost. That man…wasn't Yami. At least, from what I could tell, not the Yami I had come to know. I was meeting the real Yami – the one who lived before my time even began. Here he was different. Different look, different name…he had his life here. I should be glad I gave him his life back…but I wasn't. Instead, there was a gaping hole in my chest that was threatening to swallow me up. I felt guilty for not being happy for him. He was alive again, human again. With everything intact. That was what he wanted, wasn't it? He was finally back to where he belonged. Unfortunately, it was a place where I didn't exist.

Or I wasn't supposed to. Yet here I was.

I turned a corner. Then another. And another. I wished I could turn one and suddenly be back in Japan. Be back home with Yami. The one I'd gotten to know. The one who forced his way into my very soul. As I kept walking, the rooms and doorways all blurred together. Everything was bleak. I didn't know where I was going. I was completely lost – in all definitions of the term. Finally, after several long moments, I decided that just walking was not getting me anywhere. And it was all I could do not to break into tears right there in the middle of the corridor. I passed by something that flashed my reflection, and I stopped, feeling that something was off about it. I backed up slowly to look again.

My breath caught in my lungs, the pain I felt being replaced by even more shock as I took in my new appearance. There was no doubt about it; it had to be me standing there in the reflection. My skin was no longer pale, but as dark as Mana and Yami had been. If it weren't for my bright amethyst-colored eyes (which looked so much more exotic and unusual with my now-dark skin), I'd be just another face in the crowd of Egypt. I noticed that my ears were pierced, too. On one side, gold hoops - one at the bottom of my ear and one through the cartilage at the top. On my other ear, two gold studs and a gold ear cuff about an inch long on the upper part. I briefly wondered when I had gotten them done, and if it hurt. On my arms, I wore a couple gold bracelets and bright-colored beaded bracelets. My apparel was the same material as Mana's; linen that was made from flax - except mine where white. The tunic-like cloth draped over my chest and one shoulder like a halter-top, and the bottom hem stopped just above my knees. I wore a gold and blue belt on my hips.

Eurgh. No wonder I'd been feeling a breeze between the knees earlier. There were no pants in ancient Egypt. Or underwear. _Spectacular._

I pinched my upper arm. It hurt. I wasn't dreaming. Either I was hallucinating or…or what? No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't make logic fit into the situation. You'd think that the time I spent since finding that box would've taught me that logic doesn't run everything, but here I was, still trying to make sense of things that refuse to be clear. Of course...a talking box is one thing. Being transported back in time and having everyone know you as a different person was another.

Heba…so I apparently was Heba. The mysterious Heba that I never saw in my nightmares. The Heba that made Yami feel heartbroken when he tried to remember. Who was he? In the nightmare, Yami had been calling so desperately for him. Was the sobbing Heba? But why? Had he been hurt? It seemed really unlikely that the Pharaoh would let that happen. From what I gathered, Mana, he, and I (Heba) were all best friends. It was almost funny how Yami had no memories of the future, and I in turn had no memories from the past. My life was becoming one big irony after the next.

Why was I here? _How?_ I was still missing an important piece to this mystery – only now I was being forced to solve it. I knew I shouldn't have finished that puzzle. Nothing good came from it. I felt like I was back in my nightmares, only this time I knew I couldn't wake up. There was no way out. And Yami…the Pharaoh… I shook my head sharply. I didn't want to think about Yami right now. It hurt too much.

I stepped down the hall, through an opening, and found myself out in the sun again. It looked like a secret garden. I felt my body relax as I looked around and saw the familiar colors of home. Greens and reds and pinks and purples…more color was in this spot than the entire palace, most likely. Plants and flowers grew in bunches everywhere I looked. In the middle of the little oasis was a small man-dug pond that sparkled as the sun blazed down on it. I walked over to a tall palm tree and sank down against it, sitting in the shade. I was surrounded by flowers and nothing but the sound of rustling leaves. Leaning my head back against the trunk, I closed my eyes.

How long would I be stuck here? What did I have to do to get back to my own time? Was something expected of me? How was this even possible? I'm sure if Jou were with me, he'd say we were on some kind of acid trip brought forth by cleaner fumes or something. If my grandfather were here and alive…I'm sure he'd first be fascinated and studying everything he could get his hands on. Then he'd try to explain to me about…I don't know; probably past lives and whatnot.

I snorted. There was no such thing as a past life. How absurd. But…I had also once believed that there was no such thing as love; I thought it was just a mirage of the mind – an illusion – yet I fell for Yami. I saw that love was real, and it existed even within me. I finally open my heart and love again, and the person of my affection is ripped right from me. Literally.

What about Yami? If he were here, what would he say?

"What are you doing just sitting around for?"

Yeah, that sounds like something—wait. I opened my eyes and saw the Pharaoh standing over me, arms crossed, face passive.  
"I needed to settle my thoughts." I finally answered, taking in a deep breath.

"I see." He pursed his lips and, after a moment, sat down next to me. "Are you feeling better?"

"I was never sick." I opened one eye at him. "Oh, are you sure the Pharaoh should be sitting his bottom on the dirt? How unclassy."

"Ha ha. You're always so funny." He replied. I closed my eye again. So Heba was a little shit to his friends, huh? Good. That was one think I didn't have to fake. If I didn't have sarcasm and wit, I'd have nothing at all.

"Yes, well, it's a gift." I shrugged. I wondered if it was okay for me to be acting so normal with him. Usually people are supposed to fear and worship the Pharaoh. But I couldn't imagine Yami being cruel enough to punish his friends for teasing – at least the Yami I met wasn't. For all I know, Pharaoh-Yami could be a ruthless, evil dictator. Doubtful, but it could be true. After all, I didn't know him when he was alive.

"In all seriousness, something must have been up. You really worried Me-ana." He coughed into his hand. "Sorry. I said Mana."

I caught the slip up in his words, and I smiled. He hid his feelings like Yami, too. Maybe this would be easier than I thought.  
"Then why isn't Me-ana talking to me instead of you?" I asked, opening my eyes and sitting up.

"I told her to wait and I'd calm you down—"

"Strangely enough, I am perfectly calm right now. Must be the flowers."

"—and I'd bring you back." He finished like I hadn't interrupted.

"I don't want to." I stared at the pond, frowning. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't be this Heba person. "I really just want to go home."

"I don't understand. Heba—"

"My name isn't Heba. It's Yuugi."

He simply looked at me. Probably questioning my sanity.  
"Maybe you should go talk to Isis after all."

"And she is?" I asked, recognizing the name from earlier.

"A priestess. Also a healer."

"I'm not crazy or sick." I snapped, getting to my feet and brushing off my backside. "Leave me alone, Pharaoh."

"Please stop that." He said, also standing up.

"I'm sorry, I forgot I can't tell the Pharaoh what to do." I rubbed my forehead. I was never going to get used to this. One minute we're friends, the next he's my king. Was this how it was normally between him and Heba? When did the line blur?

"I said stop." He said. I saw his eyebrow twitch, and I knew that he was irritated. Just like how Yami gets.

"Stop what?"

"You and Mana always call me 'Pharaoh' when I've given you permission to—" He was cut off as a figure suddenly appeared next to him. It was the Mystical Elf again.

'_The priest request that you hurry. It's urgent.'_

"All right, all right. Forgive me. I got…sidetracked." He looked to me and the elf disappeared.

"You chased after me instead of going to your meeting?" I asked, incredulous. I briefly wondered what kind of Pharaoh he was. I couldn't tell if he had one personality for ruling and another for his social life, or if this was how he acted all the time. I was curious. I wanted to know what Yami was like in his life. Did he still like playing jokes? Was he still a tease? Did he like ruling Egypt? Did he rule with pride and justice? Did he care for his subjects? How old was he right now? Was he already married with a big harem? Did he have a consort?

"They can wait a little." He said with a shrug, stopping my thoughts. "I'll tell Mana you're here, so don't run off. I'll see you later." With that, he left me.

I leaned back on the tree, trying to work through the complicated maze of riddles in my mind. It's not that I didn't like the Pharaoh. He seemed like Yami. I mean, he _was_ Yami, of course. But there was just something different. Was it because I was still in shock? Or was it because I was expected to be someone else now? When the Pharaoh looks at me, he's not seeing Yuugi; he's seeing Heba. Everything was so jumbled and confusing. I didn't know what to do. I should be nicer to the Pharaoh – after all, it's not like he knows all this. He doesn't know anything of the future. Is that why I couldn't connect him and Yami together? Because, though they are the same person, they seem so far apart?

"Stupid." I muttered, thumping my head on the trunk. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"Are you all right?"

I opened my eyes and saw Mana standing before me.  
"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that you're about to cry."

"That's…so dumb." I said, laughing a little and wiping my face with my hands. Completely dry. "I'm not crying, though."

"Then maybe you should."

"Maybe I should." I nodded, but I didn't. "Do you think I'll be punished for being so rude to him?"

"Oh, no, no, no." She shook her head. "He wouldn't do that to his closest friend."

"I'm his closest friend?"

"Well, we all are." She took my hand and gave it a small squeeze. "But Heba is special."

"I get the feeling you aren't talking about me."

She frowned, thinking. "I don't know. You are most definitely Heba, of course. You speak and act just like him. But there's something…different."

"Smart girl." I commented. "I am different. This is so…confusing. One moment I'm with Yami finishing the puzzle, and now…well, you see."

"The puzzle?" Mana asked, eyes widening. "How do you know of the sacred items?"

I hesitated, searching her face carefully.  
"Would you believe me if I told you I'm not from this time?"

"Not right off the mark…but…I can tell something's going on." She sat, pulling my down with her by the hands. "We need to straighten all of this out. Please, tell me what ails you." She waitied, and I took in a deep breath and held it, debating. I could tell her, but would she believe me? And if she didn't, what would happen? Would I be forced to see that Healer Isis? Would everyone label me as insane? And if I were trapped in a room all alone because I'm thought of as mental, how would I ever get back to my own time?

Finally, I let out my breath, making up my mind.  
"My real name is Yuugi Mutou. I live in Domino City, Japan."

* * *

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